Talks are set to take place over the signing of a new striker at Priestfield on Monday but Gillingham boss Steve Evans can make no promises.

The Gills are short in the attacking department after losing Brandon Hanlan and Mikael Mandron in the summer and Evans would love to add another front-man to his ranks.

“We have a kid coming into the building on Monday,” Evans said.

“It is a striker but there are no promises. I have brought the chairman and the player together with his representatives. I have worked hard to get that done and we will see where that goes.

“All I can do is bring things to the table. We are the smallest squad in the Football League by some distance and although I remind people about it I have no complaints to our board, I have to accept it.

“We get a circular through which gives everyone’s squad details in League 1 and 2 and the Championship and it doesn’t take very long to look through ours.

“But I look at Wigan and what trouble they are in, Macclesfield have just gone, Bury have gone, the state Bolton were in. It is a warning shot to everyone, especially in the current times with no spectators coming back.”

The Gills have recently bolstered their ranks with midfield loan signings Scott Robertson and Josh Eccles and are up to 20 players but that includes Stuart O’Keefe, who is out for the season , and midfielder Henry Woods who he would like to send out on loan.

Evans is also targetting a left-sided player. Twenty players in his squad would do him.

He said: “If I can get that then we can go forward with what we’ve got, that would leave us with 20 players. When I came in we had 31.

“If I get two more in I will be pleased. We need one or two but the chairman knows that, we are going to try and do something on Monday. Can we get it done? The board will decide. All I can do is bring players to the table.”

He’s been happy with the business done so far this season after a summer overhaul.

He said: “I know now we are better than last year and with Kyle Dempsey to come in ( currently out injured for six weeks ) we will be even better but we have to produce that in performances.

“The players are young and naive and the back four, take Jackson out, we are something like 20-22 average age, the two boys centre mid 19 and 20, Coyle 19, Graham is 25. We have a very young side, the youngest by a mile in terms of matches played but we probably don’t get the credit for it.”

More on the Gills;

• Gillingham player tested negative for Covid

• Match report: Wigan Athletic 2 Gillingham 3

• Reaction: We should have been comfortable winners