DEADLINE DAY: Who have Rotherham been looking at?

It should be remembered that the loan window will re-open for Football League sides later this month, so today isn’t quite as final as it is for Premier League clubs. So though Rotherham will be looking to get some deals done in the next few hours, loans with an option to buy in the summer are becoming more frequent for Football League clubs. 

Despite the solid performances in the previous two games, Steve Evans will be looking to bolster his squad. Two areas that it is known the Millers would like to improve is central defence and up front. United have the fifth lowest goal tally in The Championship; how many games have they drawn or lost after missing a hatful of chances? Luciano Becchio was seen as the answer last August but injury brought his spell at New York to an end before it really began.

One name that has been linked with Rotherham has been Chesterfield hitman Eoin Doyle, but the Irishman has also been paired with other clubs, notably Sheffield United and even New York City FC, the club Frank Lampard will join in the summer.

It’s well known Steve Evans is an admirer, a rumoured bid of £600,000 was rejected by The Spireites in early January, with the Derbyshire side said to be hoping for a fee closer to the £2 million mark. Whether they’ll get anywhere near that sum is unlikely, Doyle is unproved in the higher leagues and in football terms isn’t a youngster. With Chesterfield pushing for the play-offs, perhaps a deal is more likely to be done in the summer, though any bid pushing towards the £1 million mark will certainly test boss Paul Cook’s resolve.

Craig Morgan and Kari Arnason have both performed admirably for Rotherham during their time in South Yorkshire. Morgan gives you everything while Arnason has that touch of class in his game others miss. When Arnason arrived almost three years ago, he was really a midfielder, though his performances at centre-back have meant he became a permanent fixture in the back line. A new signing or two in defence could mean one of the two mainstays either dropping out of the side or in Arnason’s case, switching position.

One name linked with Rotherham ever since promotion was secured last May has been Mark Beevers. Developed in Sheffield Wednesday’s academy, the lanky Beevers was approached by Manchester United and Chelsea during his younger years, though both bids were rejected. He never truly developed into the defender he could have, an after leaving Wednesday headed to south London to join Millwall. He has been a steady presence for the Lions for a couple of seasons but the Barnsley lad is rumoured to be wanting a move back north. 

One more name linked with Steve Evans men is St.Mirren man Kenny McLean. The Scottish youngster was subject of a £150,000 bid from Fleetwood early this month, a bid that was rejected by the Scottish Premiership side. McLean can play either in central midfield or wide left, similar in some ways to Ben Pringle. A direct replacement? Probably not, but he would add competition to an expanding squad. A Rotherham scout was at the Buddies match on Friday night against Partick Thistle, while Steve Evans told The Advertiser he’d also watched him on occasions. Whether a deal can be struck will become clearer in time, though with no loans allowed between English and Scottish clubs after tonights deadline, this one may be high up on Evans priority list.