“There will certainly be a forward coming in and there will certainly be a midfield player coming in. Maybe a central defender who can play one of the full-back positions. They’re the three areas we need to strengthen.”
Those were the words of Gillingham manager Steve Evans after his side were held to a 0-0 draw away at Peterborough on January 11.
A number of days later, now, and no more signings have been made.
Gillingham have exactly 20 games remaining of their 2019/20 Sky Bet League One season, and, at the time of writing, Steve Evans’ men sit 14th in the table.
That may not sound great, but it’s very compact in the mid-table area, and there are just six points between the Gills and sixth placed Sunderland, who occupy the final Play-Off spot. There’s plenty left to play for, and but the club will have to invest if they want to take part in the post-season come May.
The Blues were reasonably busy early on in the window. The loans of Tom O’Connor and Oliver Lee were extended until the end of the campaign, which was a brilliant move due to how important the two are to the team, and they signed Ipswich forward Jordan Roberts on loan until the end of the season.
The one position every fan is crying out for, however, is a striker. Gillingham have the fourth best defensive record in League One, conceding just 25 goals in 26 games, this season, but hold the worst attacking record of any side in the top 15, scoring a measly 29 goals.
When compared to the top six, who have scored 48, 34, 39, 36, 43 and 36 goals respectively, that’s not good enough if they’re to get where they want to be.
It seems likely that Jordan Roberts will be used as a striker, but he is more comfortable out wide and isn’t known for being prolific in front of goal. The Gills’ other options up top are Brandon Hanlan (six goals in 30 games this season), Alex Jakubiak (seven goals in 28 games), and Mikael Mandron (four goals in 26 games).
They lack the goal scorer required to succeed in the division, and, as hard as it may be, they haven’t replaced Tom Eaves, who left in the summer after scoring 40 goals for the club across two years.
Good strikers don’t come cheap, especially in January. The links to Dominic Samuel and John Akinde were swiftly shut down by Evans, and rumours suggesting Stephen Humphreys and Joe Piggott may be on their way seem to have disappeared.
The club have five players on loan, at the moment. Four – Oliver Lee, Tom O’Connor, Alfie Jones and Jordan Roberts – have been heavily involved since their arrivals, but Alex Jakubiak has, mostly, been warming the bench.
It’s unlikely Gillingham will sign a forward on loan due to the rule of only being allowed five loan players in a match day squad, but it’s possible if they cannot find a permanent option. One may drop out of the 18 on a match day, or Evans may opt to send Jakubiak back to parent club Watford, if it were to happen.
Despite Evans stating he wants a midfielder and defender, too, the squad depth is pretty solid everywhere else on the pitch.
The only significant outgoing from Gillingham this month has been midfielder Ouss Cissé, who departed on loan to League Two Leyton Orient.
It seems the deal with Cissé never worked out at Priestfield. The Mali international signed in summer from MK Dons with Evans stating “we’ve added a key ingredient to the team that was missing last season”.
The big midfielder started the first two games of the season, scoring on his home debut in a 2-1 defeat to Burton Albion, but hasn’t featured in the league since, often not even making the bench. It seems logical to send him on loan to let him play games, but don’t be surprised if he isn’t seen in a Gills shirt again.
There’s still over a week to go in the window, and anything can happen in that time. There’s little doubt the staff are working hard behind the scenes to get people in, but the Gills simply need a striker in the door if they are to challenge for the Play-Offs, this season.