Gillingham manager Neil Harris on his search for new attacking players this summer

Manager Neil Harris admits the striker department is the toughest area to fill.

Gillingham lost leading scorer Vadaine Oliver this summer and Harris didn’t have a lot else in reserve so faces a busy few weeks trying to secure some players at the top end of the pitch.

He admits it is the toughest area, saying: “Ultimately that is what costs money and when you don’t carry one of the biggest budgets it does make it really tough at the top end of the pitch.

“It is an area of the pitch that is notoriously the hardest to recruit and we are probably finding that at the moment.

“I am quite choosy with what I want but I am delighted that we already have Ben Reeves as a No.10 or a seven, really, who can come in on his left foot and is really good with that link-up position. I need two, if not three, number nines to carry different attributes.”

Replacing someone of Oliver’s physical stature will be important.

“You have to have a target man in the lower leagues without a shadow of a doubt,” stated Harris.

“Most sides other than the top Premier League clubs have them.

“You have to have a target man, we need to recruit someone to lead the line in that sense and you need a runner, someone who can stretch teams and run in behind, which is what Charlie [Kelman] did for us last year.

“Then you need that link player, someone who can handle the football, and we are very fortunate to have Ben Reeves who can do that.

“Obviously with him we have to handle him very carefully minutes-wise because he has not always been lucky with injuries over the years.

“We have to make sure we have someone else as well. I am conscious that is tough to recruit and that is my area, it is what I am trying to do and what I am taking responsibility over.”

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