Gillingham manager John Coleman expects the scouts to start flocking to Priestfield if their young defender continues playing the way he is.
Central defender Sam Gale picked up the man-of-the-match champagne on Saturday after another eye-catching display.
Gale should have scored for the Gills but made sure Crewe were kept out at the other end – winding himself while getting his body behind a Matus Holicek shot during an entertaining second half, in a rare foray forward for the visitors.
“He should have scored,” said Coleman. “Let’s get that straight, it’s a sitter.
“I’ve said for a long time I’m a big fan of Sam Gale. I said on Thursday he will definitely captain this club, baring a remarkable incident that happens, I can’t see him not captaining the club.
“The only way I can see him not captaining the club is if he gets a really good move to a really big club. That’s not saying we’re not a really big club, but we’re a League Two club.
“You don’t get many young centre-halves who have got his appetite for the game. He’s still got to tidy up on a few things, but if he keeps on going, this place will be rammed with scouts every week between now and the end of the season.
“The good thing about us and our situation is we’ve tied them down for the deal that will see us get good money for him if he does get sold.
“I don’t want to sell him, I want him heading it and kicking it and doing what he does (for us).
“The good thing about him that a lot of centre-halves haven’t got is his pace and pace covers a multitude of sins.
“Don’t forget he’s only a kid and he will get better as the game progresses through this season.”
Earlier this month Gale signed a new deal at the Gills, securing him on a contract until the summer of 2027, with a club option of a further year.
For all of Gillingham’s hard work during the January transfer window, Gale’s been the most exciting player to come to the fore since the start of the year, a player who the club have been nurturing since the age of 12.
The 20-year-old started the season on loan at Chelmsford City but was recalled in December. Former boss Mark Bonner gave him one game at Wimbledon but Coleman has stuck with him.
With Conor Masterson out injured and Coleman looking around for another defensive option, up stepped Gale. He’s now started the last five games and is looking more assured with each one.
The Gills have a habit of producing defensive talent and fans will be excited to see how far Gale goes. He’s looking at home in the central defensive role.
Loan defender Andy Smith has also looked comfortable in the heart of the Gills defence – the two youngsters playing either side of the experienced Max Ehmer – but with Gale, as the fans have been singing, “he’s one of our own.”
“I think he’s got a really steady partner in Max Ehmer,” said the manager.
“Max has come in for a lot of stick, unjustly in my opinion. Max has played really well in the time I’ve been here.
“There’s things he could do better, but he’s certainly passing on his years of experience and he’s making Galey a better player than what he already was.”
Gale could be treading a familiar path when it comes to centre-backs at Gillingham. John Egan joined the club at a young age to get games and his career took off. Homegrown player Jack Tucker was a sought-after signing when MK Dons lured him away from Gillingham in 2022.
Coleman won’t be wanting to put too much pressure on the young player but feels he has all the makings of a top defender.
Asked if Gale can make it to the top, he said: “It’s too early to say but he has the tools.
“He’s got a tidy up his passing but he’s only a kid. He’s reading the game like he’s older than what he is, for a start.
“You can’t buy that desire. That’s either in you or it isn’t. That’s why I think he’s definitely leadership material.
“He speaks up in here (the players’ analysis room) when we’re having the meetings. He’s not shy.
“He’s a great kid. Son-in-law material, although I’ve got three son-in-laws now, but he’s definitely son-in-law material if I had another daughter!”
