Gillingham manager Gareth Ainsworth admitted he was flattered to be linked elsewhere but that he’s happy where he is.
Press reports elsewhere have linked the 52-year-old to League 1 strugglers Reading.
With just one win in seven for Reading, Ainsworth’s name has been mentioned as a possibility should the club’s owners want to make a management change.
Noel Hunt is currently the man in charge but it’s not been a good start to the campaign for them.
Ainsworth responded to the speculation, on Thursday, saying: “It’s flattery and it’s not the first time. It’s great to see. It means that we’re doing something right at Gillingham.
“I’m the one who gets a lot of grief when it doesn’t go well, and it’s nice to be linked with places when it does go well, because it means something’s going well here and people are looking and admiring what we’re doing.
“It’s going to happen, it’s football. In the world of social media nowadays, I’m just pretty sure it won’t be the last time, but it’s flattery.”
Ainsworth hasn’t lost a league game since taking over at the Gills towards the end of last season.
He’s the League 2 manager-of-the-month for August, after continuing their strong end to last season, now 17 unbeaten under the former QPR and Wycombe boss, and 20 overall.
The Gills head to Newport on Saturday with the chance of making it 21 unbeaten, which would be a new club record.
“I’m very happy here, of course,” said Ainsworth.
“I’ve been given everything I’ve wanted and the backing from the owners has been fantastic, the buy-in from the boys, and we’re sitting second in the league, joint top at the moment, which is a fantastic place with a real good role. I’m really happy at Gillingham.”
The Gills played Reading in pre-season and Ainsworth knows the hierarchy their well.
Rob Couhig is now joint owner at Reading after a summer takeover. He was chairman at Wycombe while Ainsworth was at the club.
Ainsworth’s former captain Joe Jacobson is also the club’s chief exec.
With a close proximity to his home, it’s easy to link Ainsworth to the club, but the Gills boss dismissed the speculation.
“It’s a bit of clickbait I think,” Ainsworth added.
“It’s a bit of people earning a living off starting these rumours.”
He’s been there before, too, with other managers been talked about while he was still manager at former club QPR.
He said: “As a manager, that’s not nice.
“It is football management. We all know we get that and we’re all prepared for that but it’s still not nice. We’re all human beings.
“It’s never nice to see something like that. But it’s the world we live in, with social media.
“Very flattering to me. But I’m very happy at Gillingham Football Club.”
