A harsh assessment has been delivered regarding Millwall’s on-loan goalkeeper, with strong suggestions that manager Alex Neil should allow the £10,000-per-week stopper to leave when the January transfer window opens. The player in question is Fulham loanee Steven Benda.
Millwall currently enjoy a strong position in the Championship table and are viewed as genuine contenders for automatic promotion. After narrowly missing out on the play-off spots on the final day of last season against promoted Burnley, many supporters and pundits believed Millwall could build on that disappointment and become surprise challengers this campaign. Under new boss Alex Neil, the early signs have been positive, and results across the opening months have backed up those expectations.
Despite this momentum, not everything has gone according to plan. A Millwall fan analyst featured on Football League World highlighted one particular squad member whose performances have fallen short. That player is goalkeeper Steven Benda, who joined from Fulham over the summer on a season-long loan.
Benda arrived in South London expected to be the club’s first-choice shot stopper, largely due to an injury sustained by Lukas Jensen. The 27-year-old German started the season between the posts, making nine league appearances. During that period he registered only three clean sheets before suffering a groin injury that kept him sidelined for several matches. Upon regaining fitness, he returned to find himself merely a backup option.
During his time in goal, Benda conceded 12 goals, several of which came in heavy defeats, including a painful 3–0 loss to Middlesbrough and a demoralizing 4–0 thrashing by Coventry City. Statistical analysis backs up the criticism: FotMob reports he recorded a save success rate of only 57%, the lowest among all Championship goalkeepers at that point in the season.
This disappointing return, combined with his reported £10,000-per-week salary, has led FLW’s Millwall pundit Lucas Ball to urge the club to terminate the loan early if an option exists. Ball expressed frustration at the German goalkeeper’s presence in the squad, arguing that Benda lacks the character, toughness, and reliability required to represent Millwall. According to Ball, the defence appeared nervous and uncertain when Benda was playing, and long-range efforts regularly found their way into the net.
Ball further contrasted Benda’s performances with those of Max Crocombe, who has stepped in and excelled, boasting one of the highest save percentages in the Championship. With Jensen nearing a return from injury and Joel Coleman available as third-choice, Ball believes there is no longer a place for Benda in the group. He suggested that reallocating Benda’s wages to more impactful signings would better serve Millwall’s promotion push, adding that supporters would prefer not to see the goalkeeper wear the club’s shirt again.
Looking at Benda’s wider career, the warning signs have been visible for some time. After progressing through German academies at Heidenheim and 1860 Munich, he joined Swansea City. His early promise earned him a loan spell with Swindon Town in 2019/20, when he enjoyed a successful campaign and helped them win the League Two title in the season cut short by COVID-19. Since then, however, Benda has struggled to establish himself at the Championship level and has reached double-digit league appearances in only one season, featuring 21 times for Swansea in 2022/23.
His switch to Millwall originally looked like an opportunity to revive his career, especially with Jensen injured, but his performances have not met expectations. Now, approaching the peak age for a goalkeeper, serious questions arise about his next step. With Jensen returning from injury and Crocombe performing impressively, Benda is likely to slip further down the pecking order. As Millwall strengthen their goalkeeping options, the German appears set to become surplus to requirements, and Alex Neil may decide to part ways with him as soon as possible in January.
