Gillingham have announced their retained list following the conclusion of the 2024/25 League Two campaign.
It turned out to be a disappointing year for the Gills, finishing 17th in the league despite being top of the pile at the start of October. However, fans were given hope with the appointment of Gareth Ainsworth leading to an unbeaten end to the season.
Players who remain under contract are Josh Andrews, Ethan Coleman, Sam Gale, Joe Gbode, Remeao Hutton, Nelson Khumbeni, Armani Little, Elliott Nevitt, Jack Nolan, Shad Ogie, Aaron Rowe, Damien Theodore, Jake Turner, Harry Webster, Jonny Williams and Marcus Wyllie.
Top scorer Jayden Clarke is among the players released, alongside long-time servant Max Ehmer, who made 439 appearances across three spells with the club. Oli Hawkins, Tim Dieng, Ashley Nadesan, Alex Giles and Joshua Bayliss will also depart Priestfield at the end of their contracts.
As announced last week, Glenn Morris and Robbie McKenzie have signed new deals with the Gills. The club remains in discussions with Max Clark, Bradley Dack, Conor Masterson and Euan Williams over new contracts, while options have been taken up on Stanley Skipper and Taite Holtam, who made his professional debut in-between the sticks against MK Dons last month.
Asher Agbinone, Dom Corness, Jimmy-Jay Morgan, Andy Smith and Jacob Wakeling have returned to their respective clubs following the conclusion of their loan deals.
What’s next for Ainsworth?
Gareth Ainsworth now has a big job on his hands to get his squad ready for next season. The former Wycombe and QPR boss has already explained how he wants to work with a much smaller squad, and with 18 players already under contract for the 2025/26 campaign, the team may need some trimming before he can add to it.
The boss spoke to the media about his plans for the summer: “We’ll be busy at work trying to add some to the squad, but I don’t need too many.
“I don’t make wholesale changes; the only time I’ve done it was my second season at Wycombe when we almost went out of the Football League. There was a lot of mess there, there wasn’t a lot of money, and we had to change a lot.
“I don’t have to change too much here. Don’t expect ten new faces in the summer; it’s not going to happen.
“The club’s spent a lot of money trying to make things right [previously] and do it one way; it’s not going to happen. We’re going to do it a proper way.
“We’re going to have identity and a structure. I want to add to the squad, not change the squad.”
Discussion about this post