JED Wallace returns to The Den on Friday for the second time since leaving Millwall but he may be a slightly different Jed Wallace to what Lions fans are used to.
For five years Wallace lit up Millwall’s attack with pace, energy, goals and assists before he left for West Bromwich Albion on a free deal in the summer of 2022.
He would return to The Den just a few months later, assisting John Swift’s opener with a brilliant and familiar burst down the wing, before the Lions came back to win the game.
Wallace turned 30 years old yesterday and for a variety of reasons is developing into a slightly different player in his second season at The Hawthorns.
Appointed club captain last August, Wallace is now the ‘elder statesman’ of a West Brom side gunning for the playoffs, according to Adrian Goldberg, the host of West Brom fan podcast ‘The Liquidator’.
He told NewsAtDen: “He’s had to be very adaptable this season. He started the season in his familiar, right-sided attacking midfielder role. But at the season has gone on, we’ve had to accommodate a young lad called Tom Fellows who has come through the ranks. We’ve also had Grady Diangana around and we’ve had Mikey Johnstone who is a player that has done great stuff for us on loan from Celtic.
“And we’ve also had a striker shortage. So Brandon Thomas-Asante, our main striker this season, was injured. Daryl Dike, who would have been our main striker this season, is also injured. So we needed someone to step up and operate slightly differently and because we had so many wingers and Jed Wallace has been the preferred choice up front in recent weeks, playing as a false nine. It’s not his natural position but it’s noticeable that when he plays there although he doesn’t score many goals, we seem to score goals because of his running and ability to draw players out of position.
“When he was first selected for that position, I think a lot of fans were sceptical and thinking ‘well he’s obviously not a striker’. But because of his hard work, his clever running and his energy, he’s actually made us quite a potent threat up front.
“So he’s done really well. And of course he’s the captain, he was appointed by Carlos Corberan and he’s clearly very well respected in the dressing room and well loved by the fans.”
Wallace was often the man Millwall turned to when they needed something special on the pitch during his time at The Den between 2017 and 2022.
But at West Brom, in recent times, there are other players who have shown the ability to seize the moment, with Celtic loanee Johnston one to watch on Friday.
Goldberg said: “If you’re looking for a player who is going to score the goal or create that magic moment, than Mikey Johnstone in recent weeks has scored some absolute worldies. Tom Fellows looks really dangerous and threatening as a player who both makes goals and score goals.
“Jed doesn’t quite make headlines in the same way but his role for the team, now he’s playing in this false nine role, is actually really important and it’s noticeable that because of his running it helps Fellows, Johnston and Diangana the space to go and do what they do.”
West Brom sit eight points clear of seven-placed Hull City, albeit having played a game more, and look to be in a good position to make it to the play-offs.
It marks an incredible turnaround from their last visit to The Den when Steve Bruce had recently been sacked and the Baggies were sat in the relegation zone. With West Brom improving in this campaign, that has also provided a platform for Wallace to build on his first season in the midlands.
Goldberg said: “We signed him alongside John Swift and they were both free two free transfers. The first season was very difficult because Steve Bruce was the manager who signed him and after a bright start, the team fell away very badly and Bruce was sacked in the Autumn.
“Corberan’s done a great job but last season was a tough time for Jed Wallace, I think. There was an air of disappointment not just about him but about the whole club until Corberan arrived and I’m mindful of the fact that he wasn’t a Corberan signing and maybe not ideal for him.
“But Corberan obviously rates him, he’s made him captain and now we’ve got a way of playing that suits the squad, Wallace is a very important. Now he’s showing why we were willing to invest decent wages in him because he’s an honest pro, puts a shift in every game.
“The beginning of the season was a bit slow because he had a appendix operation in the summer and took him a while to get back to full fitness, but overall he’s been good value for Albion.”