Gillingham fans are waiting patiently for some transfer action at Priestfield but several clubs in League 2 have already been busy.
Manager Gareth Ainsworth has made it a priority to find a goalscorer for his team in the transfer window and with Sunday’s game at Notts County postponed, and a blank weekend coming up, there is plenty of time for the club’s management to make some deals happen.
Ainsworth has already made it clear what he wants.
“I want someone to get double figures,” he stated. “I want an individual that we can rely on, knowing they will score (a certain amount) in a season, and other teams have that.
“There is a lot of weight on Bradley (Dack) and he is playing out of his skin. Heaven knows where we would be without his goal contributions. We don’t want to just be relying on our attacking midfielder. We have to get goals from elsewhere.”
Some of Gillingham’s League 2 rivals have already added to their forward options.
Chesterfield signed experienced striker Freddie Ladapo – a one-time goal-getter for Margate – on New Year’s Day. He became available after recently leaving Huddersfield Town.
The Spireites have also brought in Leicester midfielder Sammy Braybrooke, after he impressed during the first half of the season at Newport County, and signed defender Malik Owolabi-Belewu from Canadian side Forge FC.
Sheffield United’s Sam Curtis and AstonVilla’s Sil Swinkels have joined on loan.
Curtis scored on his debut in a 2-2 draw against MK Dons on Sunday – a result that moved them up to seventh, leaving the Gills now eight points off the play-off places.
Strugglers Crawley Town have been busy, adding five new faces to their ranks following the opening of the transfer window, including striker Tobi Adeyemo on loan from Watford.
Shrewsbury have let midfielder Harrison Biggins join Newport and have landed Brentford’s young striker Iwan Morgan on loan.
Swindon Town have signed Aston Villa midfielder Aidan Borland and Brentford winger Michel Olakigbe on loan, Crewe have picked up defender Alfie Pond on loan from Wolves and former Gills boss Steve Evans has been quick to get some business done at new club Bristol Rovers.
Rovers have signed midfielder Ryan De Havilland from Peterborough United.
Lowly Harrogate Town, meanwhile, have completed a move for Waterford defender Grant Horton.
Gills boss Ainsworth will have flexibility in the summer to make his mark on the squad, with plenty of players out of contract, and must decide whether to go big on a striker now or wait until the end of the season.
January can be a difficult time to get value for money and Ainsworth has already spoken out about the crazy sums being spent.
Ainsworth has already said he doesn’t want to make too many changes this month.
He said: “It’s about getting consistency from the squad, we know it’s there.
“I don’t want to be changing too much (in January), I don’t want to be going ‘we need this, we need that’.
“We then have a big summer for the two-year plan that we’re talking about – but like the fans, I am a manager (who wants things) as quickly as I can.
“I believe we can finish in a successful position this year, whatever that means to people, I know what it means to me, if not I know we are in a much better position than we were last year.”
