Jack Currie in: Gillingham's dream XI for next season ft 2 realistic signings | OneFootball

If the season started now, Gillingham's first XI would already be very strong. But a couple of smart additions could leave the club's best lineup looking like potential title contenders.

Here, FLW takes a look at the Gills squad as it stands, and picks an ideal starting lineup for opening day on August 10, with the added twist of two more new signings...

Goalkeeper: Ben Amos (new signing)

Gillingham have three goalkeepers on their books, but two of them – Glenn Morris and Taite Holtam – sit at the two extremes of the age range you'd want for a first-team starter.

Morris is a solid backup, but he's now 40 years of age, while 19-year-old Holtham is still developing. That means the option of bringing in another first-team calibre keeper to provide a serious challenge to last season's starter Jake Turner shouldn't be ruled out.

Turner has performed solidly between the sticks for the Gills, but could potentially become an even better keeper if pushed by a more experienced, talented stopper.

Enter Ben Amos. The former Manchester United youngster, who has plied his trade mostly at Championship level, is set to be a free agent this summer. And, after a season on the shelf at Wigan, the lure of first-team football at a team with an aggressive promotion project could attract him to consider a move to ME7 when his contract expires at the end of June.

At 34 years of age, he's got bags of experience, all at a higher level, has the experience to help provide more leadership and decisiveness to the defence, and would act as another captain on the field for manager Mark Bonner.

Based on his experience alone, he'd represent a squad upgrade at the goalkeeper position, and would also allow the club to loan out Holtham to give him the regular first-team football he's going to need in order to prepare him for the step-up in the years to come.

Right back: Remeao Hutton

Remeao Hutton was brought in last year with his penchant for crosses and impressive record of assists cited as a major addition to the team. Unfortunately, while he certainly provided an extra dimension out wide and delivered plenty of crosses, the lack of a natural finisher up front meant that his good work was largely wasted.

Hopes will be high that he can form a strong partnership with new signing Aaron Rowe down the right flank and produce plenty of service for Elliott Nevitt up front.

Centre-half: Max Ehmer

The elder statesman of the Gills squad and listed seventh in the club's all-time appearances list, Max Ehmer has overcome a tricky spell in his career and rediscovered his consistency alongside Conor Masterson in the heart of the Gills' back line.

While Gillingham fired blanks up front, Ehmer marshalled the defense superbly, and was a calming influence on his younger defensive colleagues as he helped the team to the sixth best defensive record in League Two last season.

Now 33 years of age, Ehmer looks more than capable of continuing in his centre half role for at least another season or two, and his experience will be crucial as the team aims for promotion in 2024/25.

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Centre-half: Conor Masterson

Defensive mainstay Conor Masterson had an interesting campaign last season as, after a solid start to the season, his form dipped following the unexpected sacking of Neil Harris early in the campaign.

But, after a couple of shaky performances, Masterson came back to become a defensive force for the Gills and even finished the season as the club's second top scorer in League Two with six goals.

With Ehmer approaching the tail end of his Gills career, Masterson will be expected to step up into more of a leadership role, and his composed performances in defence – and his happy knack for being in the right place at the right time in the opponent's box – will be huge for Bonner's Gillingham side in the season ahead.

Left back: Jack Currie (new signing)

With veteran left-back Scott Malone transfer listed, Gillingham could soon be left with just one natural option at the position, Max Clark, in the squad, so another in that position could well be something Bonner and director of football Kenny Jackett have already discussed.

There are a few potential options that could be considered for the position. Doncaster's 22-year-old James Maxwell could be a possible target, as could 23-year-old Crewe full-back Rio Adebisi. But perhaps the best, and certainly the most ambitious, option to target could be AFC Wimbledon's Jack Currie.

​​​​​The 22-year-old has attracted transfer interest from clubs higher up the football pyramid in the past, with Bristol City showing an interest in the January 2023 transfer window. But a strong bid from the Gills might be enough to pique the Dons' interest.

If Currie is out of reach, Adebisi or Maxwell could come into contention, but Currie, who has played on loan at Maidstone and scored against the Gills on his senior EFL debut for the Dons, could be the perfect signing for the left side of our defence.

Defensive midfield: Ethan Coleman

The team's Young Player of the Year last season, Ethan Coleman was a steady performer in the anchor role in midfield throughout the season, and would appear to have a bright future in the game.

Next season, he'll be expected to level up again and deliver the positional discipline and ball-winning abilities needed to let the other creative players in the team shine.

His work may not be the most glamorous, but the fans have already taken to him, and Coleman's talent should make him an integral part of Bonner's starting XI in the season ahead.

Centre midfield: Armani Little

Gillingham's new midfield signing will bring some much-needed industry and drive to the middle of the park, with hopes already high that Little can form an effective partnership with Coleman in the heart of the Gills' midfield.

Little's box-to-box play should dovetail well with Coleman in the holding role, and could bring the sort of energy that Gillingham have been missing from central midfield area over the last few seasons.

He gets up and down well, likes a tackle, and takes care of the ball well. Gillingham's midfield should be noticeably better with Little on the field.

Right-wing: Aaron Rowe

Gillingham have struggled with width for years, but now, with their summer signings, that could all be about to change. Aaron Rowe's arrival as a free agent following his release from Huddersfield should add some pace and trickery to the right flank.

Rowe performed well on loan at Crewe last season, with his performances catching the eye of the recruitment team at Priestfield. And, with boss Bonner looking for pace and creativity in wide areas, Rowe was targeted as a significant addition.

Attacking midfield: Jonny Williams

The new-look Gillingham side could prove to be a new lease of life for Jonny Williams. The former Welsh international arrived at Priestfield last season, but Gillingham's struggles in midfield and up front meant that we didn't see the best of Williams last year.

In a team that should offer more of an attacking threat, and better balance across the park, Williams could shine in the number 10 role, playing just off the front man, at the top of a midfield diamond.

The width Gillingham will play next season should stretch defences widthways, creating spaces for Williams to dart in and out and create chances. And, as we saw from his time at Swindon, he's more than capable of weighing in with a few goals of his own, too.

Left-wing: Jack Nolan

The early-summer signing of Jack Nolan was met with significant excitement from the Gills fanbase. The former Accrington man's numbers speak for themselves, and they say one word – GOALS.

Whether he's creating them, or scoring them himself, Nolan was a prolific source of goals for Stanley last season and he'll be expected to do more of the same at Priestfield. If he can, Gillingham will have a much, much more dangerous attack than last season.

Striker: Elliott Nevitt

Gillingham's first summer signing was a statement of intent from Bonner, as he directly addressed the most glaring need at the club.

Last season, Gillingham's front line was both toothless and static, and in Elliott Nevitt, Bonner has addressed both in one swoop. Nevitt is a hard-running workhorse of a striker who chases lost causes and puts chances away. He's the sort of striker defenders hate playing against, and the ideal type of player to lead the line, either as a lone front man, or as part of a strike partnership.

Bonner has the option of using Nevitt in both setups, with January signing Josh Andrews seemingly a tailor-made strike partner for Nevitt. In this XI, we have gone for creativity in the form of Jonny Williams playing "in the hole," but if the game needs the team to roll up their sleeves and be a touch more physical up front, a Nevitt-Andrews partnership should offer a solid one-two punch for Bonner's Gills attack.