Gillingham signed eight of the nine players they presented to during the summer transfer window, reveals manager Gareth Ainsworth

Gillingham manager Gareth Ainsworth has given an insight into the success of their summer recruitment.

The Gills have now made 11 new signings and Ainsworth is delighted to reshape the squad to fit his style of play.

The club have invested heavily in the playing squad since American owners Brad and Shannon Galinson took over in December 2022.

But they’ve finished 17th in League 2 for the past two seasons, and are yet to record a top-10 position since returning to the division four seasons ago.

“I've got no excuses this year,” said Ainsworth. “I've been given what I've wanted and I'm ready to hit the league hard with what I feel is a fabulous new team.

“Out of the nine players that we presented to, I think we got eight. We've had to work within a budget, of course.

“There's no denying that this club (was) spending way too much on some stuff and not getting bang for their buck.

“I'm saying we're definitely going to get bang for our buck. I'm hoping that the bang outweighs the buck, because then they'll go, wow, how have we got in for that price?

“That's the way you do it in football management.

“We've totally revamped the recruitment department since we've come in and, over time, I think we now have something we're really proud of and that we can really trust.

“They've done a great job on getting the players they've got in.”

Ainsworth again touched on the departure of defender Sam Gale, who joined League 1 Barnsley for an undisclosed fee at the end of last week.

“We're already selling Sam,” he added. “We wish him all the best.

“It's really hard. Did I want him in my squad? Of course I did. But once a player expresses to go, it's really difficult then in that situation.

“In the modern game, nothing seems to be a secret