Gillingham are reportedly interested in a double free-agent swoop as Gareth Ainsworth begins his summer plans.
The Wycombe Wanderers icon took over at Priestfield in the final games of the League Two season as he jumped ship from League One bottom club Shrewsbury Town, replacing John Coleman in the process.
Two Free Agents Targeted
According to KentOnline, Gillingham are interested in both centre-back George Stanger and right winger Dion Pereira, as both are set to leave their current clubs. Defender Stanger has been at Ayr United, and has represented New Zealand on an international level at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
He was previously linked with Gills in January, but no move materialised and saw out the season with the Scottish Championship club managed by Celtic icon Scott Brown. They failed to gain promotion into the top flight after losing across two legs against Partick Thistle.
Pereira is set to depart Luton Town upon the expiry of his contract after a season-long loan at Dagenham and Redbridge, who were relegated from the National League on the final day. The winger has previous experience in League Two at Bradford City with 28 appearances over two spells and also at Sutton United during their relegation season.
Writer’s View
Whilst Gillingham are yet to release their retained list this summer, these two potential transfers hint at which out-of-contract players may leave. It was already known that German defender Max Ehmer would be departing, so a move for 24-year-old Stanger makes sense as he has been a very strong part of an Ayr United side that challenged for promotion. Dion Pereira has goalscoring experience in League Two during his season with Sutton, but his most recent campaign with Dagenham and Redbridge saw the former EFL club head down to the regional divisions. Whilst he personally did decently with 12 goals and seven assists with The Daggers, it was not enough to avoid the drop on the final day.
