Gillingham sign Cardiff City midfielder Eli King on transfer deadline day for an undisclosed fee

Gillingham have completed the permanent signing of fit-again midfielder Eli King from Cardiff City.

The 23-year-old is a former Wales under-21 international who has just returned from a long-term absence, having suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in training a year ago.

King was with the squad at Chesterfield on Tuesday night as the Gills picked up a point following a 1-1 draw.

Commenting on his move, King said: “I woke up in the morning [Tuesday] with a whole world of different things potentially going on. I got wind of some serious interest from Gillingham [on Tuesday] morning.

“Considering all my circumstances, I thought it was the best decision for me, so once the contract stuff was all sorted, I drove up the motorway [to Chesterfield].

“The gaffer's had plenty of experience. I’ve obviously been following the EFL for a long time, been playing in it, so I know, I'm aware of his success. [Gills player] Nick Freeman who I know speaks really highly of him, which was a big thing.

“You can get the gist after a couple of minutes on the phone of how good of a man he comes across. He seemed really honest to me and that's all you ask for as a player, coming in and uprooting your life, you want a manager to be honest with you and it seemed that way, so yeah, that was basically it.”

He has already previously played for several clubs on loan, having made a handful of first-team appearances with Cardiff. He moves to the Gills for an undisclosed fee.

Injury kept King out of action for most of last season. Having watched the Gills play, he said what he could bring to the team.

“I'm a centre midfielder, I play as a six, or an eight, so I know the gaffer alters sort of formation and system.

“I see myself fitting into