Following the Imps narrowly missing out on a play-off spot, the defender is set to return to Millwall. However, before he hopped on a train, he was seen in a local pub with the Imps’ ultra group, the 617 Squadron, flying a red flare. There seems to be a lot of love between the 22-year-old and the Imps, and there have been calls for him to return next season.
Mitchell, who has also been on loan at Leyton Orient and St Johnstone, made 34 starts for the Imps in League One, maintaining his starting spot in the lineup after Mark Kennedy left. He made 41 appearances across all competitions and netted the first goal for the team following Kennedy’s departure.
Now, he’s back in South London, where Millwall is still in the Championship with ease. Mitchell’s chances of making the starting lineup the next season have been discussed by manager Neil Harris, who strangely oversaw three clubs last season—one in each level.
“Alex’s growth is a little faster than theirs,” Millwall manager Harris stated. “Alex had a loan into both League Two and the Conference. He is currently in League One at Lincoln and had a fantastic run, just missing out on the playoffs.”
We will need to talk with Alex during the summer about what the upcoming season holds given he has played a lot of football while on loan.
In his 111-game career, Mitchell has made 101 starts, 91 of which have come in the EFL or SPFL. But only one of those games—a single, ten-minute substitute appearance in the League Cup—was played for his parent team. His boss will be talking to him over the summer about the possibility that if he does return to Millwall, a starting spot might not be available.
“Do they (the loaned players) want to stay on the team going forward, or do they want to stay on the periphery and try to break in with loans, or do they just want to go out and play football for a living?”
In 2023, Mitchell signed a “long-term” contract with the Lions. Following a productive run that included a goal against Celtic at McDiarmid Park, he was voted St Johnstone’s Young Player of the Season in 2023.
