A Great Career Leap
With 19 goals contributions (11 goals and eight assists) in what was generally agreed to be his breakthrough season with Millwall, it therefore came as a little surprise as Super Eagles winger, Femi Azeez was on Tuesday night named in the PFA Championship Team of the Year, after an impressive 2025/26 campaign with Millwall
Super Eagles winger, Femi Azeez was named in the PFA Championship Team of the Year after an impressive 2025/26 campaign with Millwall.
He was honoured for his outstanding performances, at a gala dinner held at the Manchester Opera House on Tuesday evening.
Azeez was recognised alongside some of the division’s outstanding performers after earning the backing of his fellow professionals.
His selection caps a breakthrough campaign in which he established himself as one of Millwall’s most important attacking players.
The Nigerian scored 11 league goals in 35 Championship appearances for Millwall, helping the club finish third and secure a place in the promotion play-offs.
Azeez’s excellent form at club level subsequently earned him his maiden call-up to the Super Eagles under head coach Eric Chelle, and made an immediate impact on his Nigeria debut during the Unity Cup, scoring twice against Zimbabwe in a 2-0 victory.
The recognition further highlights Azeez’s rapid rise, with the Nigerian now looking to build on his impressive club campaign and establish himself as a regular part of the Super Eagles setup.
Meanwhile, Azeez continues to attract interest over his future at Millwall, with English Championship side, West Ham United joining the race for his signature.
The 25-year-old has not hidden his ambition of playing in the Premier League and Millwall’s failure to secure promotion has only increased speculation over his future this summer.
Europa League winners, Aston Villa and newly promoted Premier League side, Hull City have already been linked with the Nigerian winger, setting up a fierce battle for his signature before the transfer window closes.
According to Transferfeed, West Ham United have now entered the race to sign Azeez from Millwall this summer.
The Hammers were relegated from the Premier League last season and are determined to secure an immediate return to the top flight. As part of those plans, the club is looking to strengthen its attack.
One of the reasons behind their interest in Azeez is the departure of Dutch winger, Crysencio Summerville, who recently completed a move to Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal.
With Summerville gone, Azeez is seen as a player capable of filling the void on the wing. His pace, creativity and ability to operate in different attacking positions make him an attractive option as West Ham look to build a squad capable of challenging for promotion.
However, the London club will first have to convince the Nigerian international to choose them ahead of Aston Villa and Hull City, who also remain interested in signing him.
Millwall are reportedly demanding around £30 million to part with the winger. If West Ham are willing to meet that valuation and win the race for his signature, they could secure one of the Championship’s standout performers ahead of the new season.
Earlier in an interview with Sky Sports, Azeez talks about his incredible form for Millwall last season that has helped spark their promotion push.
For all of Millwall’s brilliance this season at both ends of the pitch, it is unlikely they would be where they were in the Championship promotion race without the sparkle of Azeez.
Into his second campaign with Millwall, it feels like the one where the 25-year-old winger has really arrived at this level.
“Last season was a bit of a feeler for me,” Azeez, who joined from Reading in 2024, tells Sky Sports. “League One to the Championship is a big jump, especially when you look at the quality there at the top of the league last season.
“I do feel like this season I’ve come into my own. I put in a lot of work in the off-season, and I’ve been able to express myself a little more and show what I can do. I feel more relaxed and my confidence is high.
“I’ve been loving it. We’ve got an amazing group of players around me and also got an amazing gaffer as well. So I think I’m going into every game with confidence knowing that I can go and shine, I can go and do what I know I can do.”
Eleven goals, plenty of which have been absolute belters, and eight assists, have made Azeez a hero at The Den.
Those numbers are made all the more impressive by the fact he has only started 25 games and made 27 league appearances.
“I’ve had a couple of patches where everything I touched just turned into gold,” he says. “I think about that October month as well when I scored four on the bounce coming back from an ankle injury.
“I do watch some of my goals and I do think, ‘wow, that is incredible’. But I know I can do that now and I try to emulate that every game.”
It has not been an easy road for Azeez to this point. A decade ago he was released by Watford as a 14-year-old, and had to battle his way back to this level through the non-league scene in London.
A few years later he was signed by Reading in 2019, where he spent five years before joining Millwall.
He feels those early setbacks helped to shape him into the player and person he is today.
“It’s been a journey for sure!” he says. “As a 14-year-old hearing that you’re going to get released is obviously heartbreaking and I was upset for quite a while, I’ll be honest.
“I’ve seen both sides of the game so I think that as a young player going through that definitely hardens your mind and hardens your mental state.
“As a 16 or 17-year-old you’re playing against grown men who have kids and who have something to fight for. It’s definitely an experience.
“I still take that into my games now, knowing that football can change so quickly and anything can happen in one moment and I could be back in the same position.
“It’s humbling definitely. Being where I am now is a massive privilege and it’s something that I’ll work my hardest not to let go of. I always knew that football is what I wanted to do and I was going to make this happen one way or another.
“I’m strong-minded and I’ve had support from my parents and my brother, as well, who helped me along the way. I always knew this was what was going to happen. If I put my mind to it, I was going to be in the position that I am now.
“From where I’ve come from and the experiences I’ve had, to be in this position right now is incredible. I never lose sight of that because it has been a journey and it’s been one of those journeys where I can look back at myself and be proud of that.
“I guess it is surreal because looking where I come from, looking at my background, with all these amazing players in the Championship and to kind of be one of the best performing in the league is amazing.”
And now, just seven years after he was on loan at Hanwell Town in Isthmian League South, he could be helping steer Millwall to the Premier League.
The Lions have had several near misses with the play-offs in recent seasons, but a superb campaign so far has fired them into contention for automatic promotion.
“The feeling around the club and around the changing room is definitely positive,” he says. “If we continue doing what we do then we know what can happen.
“If we think about promotion or getting to the next level I think we can get ahead of ourselves. We’ve got to stay humble. But with the gaffer and the lads in the changing room we will.”
And it feels like with the dramatic rise he has enjoyed this season, the sky is the limit for Azeez himself.
“It has been a long road to get here but I’m still only 25,” he says. “I’ve got plenty of years left in the game.
“Sometimes I do remind myself I’m not the finished product just yet, so I’ve got plenty of years to grow. I put in the work and I want to reach my potential, but also surpass my potential.
“It is exciting to think what could happen, but I don’t want to look too far ahead because if you look too far ahead you can kind of live in a fantasy land.
“My mind and my mental state is just to keep grounded, keep working hard and just keep improving every day. That’s the main thing.”
With the summer transfer window still opened till September 1, it is still unclear which club Azeez would be plying his trade.