Gillingham have completed the signing of attacking midfielder Bradley Dack.
The 30-year-old returns to Priestfield seven years after leaving for Blackburn in a deal worth £750,000, having been a free agent in the summer following his departure from Sunderland.
Dack was a popular figure among supporters during his first spell at Gillingham, scoring 31 goals in 160 league appearances.
It’s bound to be an exciting homecoming for many fans, but manager Mark Bonner insisted the Gills haven’t done the deal for sentimental reasons.
“Obviously, there’s a romance about the signing because he’s coming home in that sense,” said Bonner. “That’s nice, but it’s not the reason to do it.
“The reason to do it is he can help us win football matches, no question.
“We know he’s had injury problems in the past but the agreement made is great on all sides.
“When he is fit and available he gives us one hell of an option to help us win games at this level as we keep trying to build a team that can outscore teams and win games, he will be a big part of that.
“I think he’ll make players around him better. I think he’ll have the humility to know what a Gillingham team looks like and what it takes to get promotion, and he’ll want another one on his CV. Hopefully, he can help us achieve what we all want to do.”
Dack’s stock continued to rise when he left Gillingham for Blackburn in June 2017, and the goals continued to flow.
He scored 18 times when Rovers were promoted from League 1 as runners-up in his first year at Ewood Park and repeated that tally the following campaign in the Championship.
In 2019, Dack had 10 goals to his name before Christmas and was linked with moves to Premier League clubs. But disaster struck in a goalless draw with Wigan on December 23 when he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the second half. It ruled him out for a year.
After battling back to fitness, Dack was cruelly dealt another horrible blow in March 2021 against Brentford when he suffered another ACL injury – only this time to his left knee.
Dack scored 57 goals in 173 Blackburn appearances before moving to Sunderland last summer on a one-year deal although he only featured in 16 league games for the Black Cats.
“There’ll probably be some that think his last few years have been tough for him in terms of games played and there’s an element of risk to that,” said Bonner.
“Well, we’re protected against the risks, firstly. Secondly, that is a risk worth taking because if he didn’t have those problems he wouldn’t be coming here, he wouldn’t be coming back and he wouldn’t be playing at this level.
“He’s a player that on his day could be massive for us at the level. If you start to think about the, probably very unlikely, scenario of everyone at the top end of the pitch being available at any one time, we have got some match-winning options up there which is exciting.
“It gives us a chance to become the team we want to become and Brad can be a big part of that.
“I think he can drive standards, I think he can be a leader, I think he can show what good looks like because he’s played at a higher level for a while now. There’s a few that have got that experience and pedigree and they can make a real difference to your team.”
Dack, who is around four to six weeks away from being involved in the first team, will wear the number 23 shirt.
The Gills boss smiled: “Those conversations have been going on for quite a long time, and 23 has been left available for quite a long time just in case of this potential outcome!”
