Arsenal are the latest club expected to recall their loan players from Gillingham.

Trae Coyle and Zech Medley have both found it hard to hold onto a regular place in Gills’ League 1 side and are expected to return to the Premier League side this week.

The departure of Coyle and Medley will follow that of Coventry pair Declan Drysdale and Josh Eccles, along with Celtic midfielder Scott Robertson.

With those five departures, it leaves the Gills short for their trip to Accrington Stanley this weekend, although both Coyle and Medley were absent from the squad that faced Burton last Saturday.

The departures of the Arsenal pair is no surprise.

Medley hadn’t started a league game since playing at home against AFC Wimbledon on November 24. The Gills won the match 2-1. Since then the 20-year-old has only started an EFL Trophy match and played the second half against Doncaster last month.

He may not have had as much action as he, or the Gunners, would have liked but the 18 appearances and time with a first-team squad would have been valuable experience.

Fellow Arsenal player Coyle will also have benefited from the experience, claiming several firsts during his time at Priestfield.

Coyle made his Football League debut for the Gills and also scored his first senior goals, netting four times including one against his parent team in the EFL Trophy. He also scored in League 1 against Swindon Town and Wigan Athletic. He made 13 appearances in the league but 10 of them came off the bench.

The Gills are down to 17 senior players for the weekend trip to Accrington, which includes Jacob Mellis and Stuart O’Keefe, both of whom are just coming back from serious injuries.

• Gills set to complete deal for Saints player

• Defender Drysdale goes back to Coventry

• Celtic recall teenager Robertson

Read more on the Gills