Stevenage and Doncaster Rovers in transfer battle for Gillingham midfielder | OneFootball

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Football League World

·24 May 2023

Stevenage and Doncaster Rovers in transfer battle for Gillingham midfielder

Article image:Stevenage and Doncaster Rovers in transfer battle for Gillingham midfielder

They were in a precarious position at the halfway stage of the season and their time in the Football League looked to be in jeopardy, but a takeover and a fresh wave of optimism saw Gillingham comfortably remain in League Two by the end of the 2022-23 season.

The takeover of American businessman Brad Galinson was the turning point for the Gills, who invested heavily into new players in the January transfer window and since the turn of the year, they won 13 of their 25 matches to finish in 17th position in the fourth tier of English football.


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With Galinson's investment, there is hope that the current squad, with a few additions here and there, will be good enough to get promoted back to League One next season and one player that has been reliable for the club over the course of the previous campaign is 33-year-old Alex MacDonald - but will he still be there at the start of next season?

What is Alex MacDonald's current situation at Gillingham?

MacDonald signed for the Gills in the summer of 2020 and has now been there for three years - he initially penned a one-year deal but was offered a two-year extension back in 2021 for his good performances.

He spent most of the 2021-22 season on the sidelines with a serious knee injury, but he's returned to full fitness this past season and played 52 times in all competitions, scoring twice and assisting eight times.

Covering a number of positions from both wings to the engine room, MacDonald has been offered a contract extension by Gillingham manager Neil Harris at the age of 33, but there's no certainty that he will remain at the Kent outfit.

According to reporter Darren Witcoop, there are multiple clubs keen to sign the veteran midfielder this summer.

One of those is Stevenage, who were promoted to League One this past season and of course are manager by ex-Gills boss Steve Evans, who was the man that brought MacDonald to the Priestfield Stadium in the first place.

Evans has made a play for MacDonald but also keen are Gillingham's fourth tier rivals Doncaster Rovers, who have a new manager in Grant McCann and have already made a move to bring experienced defender Richard Wood to the club.

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