Harry Toffolo has had a lot of success in recent years, but Millwall were unable to maximize his talents.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Toffolo’s hard work and dedication earned him a late Premier League debut following several loan appearances in lower levels.
- Toffolo’s dismal spell at Millwall motivated him to perform admirably for Lincoln City, gaining back-to-back promotions.
- Success in the Championship with Huddersfield finally led to Premier League playing with Nottingham Forest, realizing his dream.
Harry Toffolo worked really hard to reach the top.
Many Premier League players have spent their whole careers at the highest level, but Toffolo did not, having made his top-flight debut at the age of 27.
While he began his career with Norwich City, who were in the top division at the time, he never saw any first-team league action and instead spent time on loan with Swindon Town, Rotherham United, Peterborough United, Scunthorpe United, and Doncaster Rovers.
Each of these loan spells helped shape Toffolo into the Premier League player he is today. Learning his trade in League One, and briefly in the Championship with Rotherham, was critical for Toffolo’s career, as he had relatively little opportunities with his parent club, Norwich.
Toffolo will fondly remember his time with Swindon Town in the 2014/15 season, when he assisted eight league goals from left-back and scored one in his first complete season of senior football.
Toffolo left Carrow Road after a few seasons on loan in the hopes of landing a permanent first-team spot, but it wasn’t easy at first.
Harry Toffolo never had an effect at Millwall.
The left-back signed a permanent, short-term contract with Millwall in January 2018. It was an exciting deal for all parties, as Toffolo had demonstrated promising abilities on loan in League One and appeared to be ready for the step up to the Championship with the Lions.
He spoke to the Millwall FC media upon his signing and expressed his excitement.
He went on to say: “It’s brilliant to sign – I can’t wait to get started,”
“Every time I’ve played at The Den against Millwall, they’ve always been a great team to play against; very well-structured and I look forward to working with the manager and his group of players.”
“Being able to call The Den ‘home’ for the next few months is wonderful. I cannot wait to get started. Any time I’ve played here, the atmosphere has been amazing, and I’ve always wondered what it’s like to be on the other side of the fence. Now I can appreciate it and look forward to my first game.”
Unfortunately, the first game never happened, as Toffolo played zero minutes for Millwall. Neil Harris, the manager at the time, was determined on James Meredith as his starting left-back, thus Toffolo didn’t even make the bench and was only used as a replacement once.
He left the Den in the summer of 2018, and his following career moves will haunt Millwall indefinitely.
Harry Toffolo has gone from strength to strength after leaving The Den.
After leaving Millwall, the 28-year-old joined Lincoln City in League Two, which was the best decision of his career thus far. The Imps had recently been promoted from non-league and would go on to clinch back-to-back promotions to League One.
Despite his Millwall setback, Toffolo played an important role in Lincoln’s League Two promotion campaign, scoring ten league goals and starting every game from left-back.
He spent the first half of the 2019/20 season with Lincoln in League One before moving to Huddersfield Town, where he ultimately proved himself in the second tier.
| Harry Toffolo’s Championship stats for Huddersfield, as per Transfermarkt | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Apps | Goals | Assists |
| 2021/22 | 42 | 6 | 7 |
| 2020/21 | 31 | 2 | 5 |
| 2019/20 | 19 | 1 | 2 |
His performances for Huddersfield in the Championship were invaluable over his two and a half years at the club, and he nearly helped his team win promotion to the Premier League. After losing in the play-off final, he moved with freshly promoted Nottingham Forest, where his dream of playing top-flight football began.
Since joining Forest in 2022, he has proven to be an effective left-back in the club’s fight to stay in the Premier League.
Millwall supporters may have watched Toffolo with sorrow over the last few years; he never made an impact at The Den but has subsequently grown from strength to strength.
He will undoubtedly be remembered by the Lions and their fans as the one who got away.
