Gillingham manager Gareth Ainsworth happy to be patient in transfer window and insists they won’t overpay

Gillingham manager Gareth Ainsworth is prepared to be patient in the transfer market rather than encouraging the club to pay over the odds.

Ainsworth has kept much of last season’s squad in place, with just a few new faces, but he’s still hopeful of making a couple more additions.

“We’ve made contact with a number of different players and agents,” he said.

“Clubs have unrealistic fees, or players have unrealistic wage demands.

“[Owners] Brad and Shannon [Galinson] are great people and are fully involved in all the recruitment process.

“We will not get players to the detriment of Gillingham Football Club’s budget or structure that I want to put in place.

“They’ve given me the manager title because I want to manage this, I want to manage this squad.

“We’re definitely talking to people, which I think is the same with every club.

“Still at this stage of the year, there’s some unrealistic expectations from players and agents.

“The closer you get to the end of the window, the more they start looking a bit more realistic. It might take to doing that.

“I’ve done some of my best signings late on in the windows.

“It’s amazing, after that first two or three weeks, some players become available that you didn’t dream were going to become available and are unhappy and people try and nick them from here, there and everywhere.

“I’m sure we’ll get bids for some of our players. At the moment, we’re really happy where we are.”

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Ainsworth’s management role means he’s got a big say in who comes and goes, insisting no new signings come into the club without his final approval.

Since the end of last season the Gills have signed strikers Seb Palmer-Houlden and Sam Vokes and