Nadesan leaves: 3 players Gillingham should loan out this summer | OneFootball

Gillingham's summer rebuild continues at pace, with three new faces already through the door at Priestfield Stadium.

With more new arrivals set to follow, manager Mark Bonner may soon need to address his squad size.

The early-summer additions of striker Elliott Nevitt, midfielder Armani Little, and winger Jack Nolan have addressed key needs in the Gills' squad, but Bonner has made clear that the Kent club's summer transfer business isn't done just yet.

And, with new players being drafted in at ME7, the unavoidable truth is that players will have to go to make space for some of them.

That has already been partially addressed, with George Lapslie, Scott Malone, Ashley Nadesan, and Oli Hawkins being made available for transfer, while Shaun Williams, Macauley Bonne, Ike Orji, Matty McArthur, Ronald Sitole, Josh Chambers, Keiron Agbebi and Nathan Harvey will all depart the club when their existing deals expire.

Bonner also has the ability to make use of the loan market to send out any players who might not be a part of his first-team plans now but could potentially add value as squad members further down the line.

With that in mind, FLW offers three names from the current Gills squad who could potentially benefit from a spell away on loan next season.

Ashley Nadesan

Ex-Crawley Town striker Nadesan was signed last season with high hopes of a fruitful strike partnership with former teammate Tom Nichols. But, due to a combination of injuries and sub-par performances, then Nichols' January departure to Mansfield, things just haven't worked out at Gillingham for Nadesan thus far.

His pace was cited as a major weapon when he signed, but injury seemed to curtail that, while a clear lack of confidence saw him struggle to make an impression in games, with many of his performances in the second half of the season coming from the bench.

With another year still on his deal at Priestfield, Nadesan is currently transfer-listed by the Gills. But, if there are no takers during the summer window, Bonner will have to decide whether to pay off his contract and let him leave as a free agent, or farm him out on loan in a bid to raise his confidence with a view to bringing him back into the fold, or perhaps in a "try before you buy" type arrangement.

Either way, Nadesan's stock won't rise sitting in Gillingham's reserves, so unless he can get himself a summer move, a loan stint somewhere can only be a positive for a striker who looks in desperate need of a confidence boost. And the most likely way he'll get that is by donning the colours of another club.

Jayden Clarke

Jayden Clarke avoided the post-season axe and, based on the fact that he hasn't been transfer-listed or released, he's clearly someone who the Gills management view as a player with potential at Priestfield.

Clarke made 32 league appearances for the Gills last season, largely as a substitute, but only completed 90 minutes once during the campaign. In a side that struggled to create and score chances, his introduction was often as an impact sub, but he was unable to convert those appearances into goals and assists.

With Gillingham strengthening with key signings in attacking areas, it's likely to be even harder for Clarke to establish himself as a regular in the first team next season, so a loan spell may prove to be a smart move for both the player and the club.

For Clarke, it will offer the chance for regular first-team football and the opportunity to get into a rhythm and give his talents the best chance to shine. For the club, it's an opportunity to assess Clarke in a situation where he's getting more consistent playing time.

That could present Clarke with the option of making a permanent move elsewhere for regular first-team games, or it could help show the Gills brass that he's ready to come back into the squad and be the sort of player many hoped he could be when he arrived from Dulwich Hamlet in January 2023.

Joe Gbode

Teenage striker Joe Gbode has been on the fringes of the Gillingham first-team squad for a season or two but is still developing his game and isn't quite ready to step into regular League Two football just yet. The question is, could he be ready in a season or two's time?

That's why the club is likely to continue to use the loan system to help give Gbode the on-the-job training he needs to assess his readiness for the cut and thrust of EFL action.

Having come through the youth system at Priestfield, Gbode has found himself loaned out to a number of clubs in the South East, with spells at Margate, Folkestone Invicta, Hastings United (twice), Maidstone United and Aveley over the last three seasons.

Now would be a great time to embed Gbode into a National League side on a season-long loan to give him a full pre-season, then an entire campaign, to see what he's made of at a level or two below where the Gills are currently operating.

If Gbode shows promise and can establish himself as a scorer of goals at that level, it offers hope for the future. He's still only 19 years of age, so time is on his side. And with the competitive football on offer at National League level, a season-long loan would be hugely valuable to the player, while giving the club the chance to see more of him in action in games that matter.