How Bradley Dack news can have a big impact on Gillingham FC and Gareth Ainsworth | OneFootball

By signing Bradley Dack to a one-year extension, Gareth Ainsworth has secured a potential gamechanger for Gillingham in 2025-26.

Gillingham are in rebuild mode as they get set for the start of the 2025-26 League Two season, and their re-signing of a club legend could help spark their on-pitch recovery.

Bradley Dack became one of the most talented home-grown players in Gillingham FC history as he came through the ranks to become one of the hottest talents in the lower divisions. It was no surprise when bigger clubs came calling, and in 2017 he moved on to Blackburn Rovers, where he enjoyed even more success.

But injuries blighted his latter career at Ewood Park and, after a season at Sunderland that saw him struggle to hit regular form, he found himself out of contract. Gillingham made an ambitious approach and discovered that Dack was as enthusiastic about coming home as the club was at bringing him back. A deal was done, and fans celebrated the return of a bonafide club legend.

Dack back at Priestfield

However, Dack’s fitness for the early part of the season wasn’t quite at the level needed to get out onto the pitch, and a series of cameo appearances from the bench saw him looking very much like a player trying to play his way back into full match fitness.

So it was ironic that, as Gillingham headed into the new year and Dack was feeling much closer to his best shape, fitness-wise, he found himself out of favour, and out of the matchday squad, under manager John Coleman.

But the late-season arrival of Gareth Ainsworth saw Dack eventually return to the side, and he was involved in each of the team’s last five league games, scoring the stoppage-time winner at home against MK Dons and assisting for another as the Gills finished the season strongly.

Dack re-signs with Gillingham for 2025-26 season

Despite his increased involvement in the team at the back-end of the season, there were question marks over what might happen to “Dacky” in the summer. Ainsworth had made clear his desire to carry a leaner, smaller squad into the 2025-26 campaign, and fans wondered aloud whether Dack, whose injuries have blighted the last couple of years of his career, would be included in Ainsworth’s plans.

The fans didn’t have to wait long for the answer. When the club’s retained and released list was announced, it was confirmed that the club was in talks with Dack over a new contract. And, shortly after, it was announced that Dack had signed a new one-year contract to take him to the end of next season.

Dack could have a big role to play for Gareth Ainsworth's Gillingham in 2025-26

As the club’s managing director Joe Comper explained, the desire to re-sign Dack was met with an equally strong desire by the player to stay at Priestfield.

“He didn’t come into the process selfishly at all,” he explained.

“His main motivation, which he said from the start, was that he’s desperate to do well. He’s desperate to do well here.

“He wants to play for Gillingham, and he wants to succeed at Gillingham, and that actually made it really straightforward.”

It also proved that, while Ainsworth will be running a smaller squad, he clearly values Dack’s character and ability and wants to have them as a part of his arsenal heading into the new campaign.

Dack’s experience, plus his ability to spot a pass, and his composure in the final third, can all be major weapons for Gillingham next season, especially if the 31-year-old’s injury woes are now behind him.

A fully-fit Dack, with a strong pre-season under his belt, could become a major player for the Gills in 2025-26. And while Ainsworth will undoubtedly be looking to strengthen in attacking areas during the summer, a fit and firing Dack will provide the sort of quality you rarely see in English football’s fourth tier.