Gillingham boss Steve Evans is still sure that Tom Eaves will be playing elsewhere next season and is working hard on finding a replacement.

Last season’s leading scorer has been offered a new contract by Gillingham after finishing the last two campaign’s as leading scorer.

Eaves scored 18 goals in his first season at Priestfield before improving that tally with 22 last time around.

The 27-year-old is out of contract this summer and is understood to have a number of options and is keen to try his luck at a higher level.

Evans, who has been in contact with the striker, said: “He’s been away but came back at the weekend and I am keeping abreast of it. It would be wrong not to.

“Tom sees himself in the Championship and with 20-odd goals consecutively you are entitled to think like that. He did say I would be the first to know if anything changes.”

Eaves and Evans have worked before, at Rotherham.

“I have always found him to be an honest player,” said Evans, speaking last week.

“You ask him something and you get no shenanigans. He is genuine and I have a lot of time for him.

“He was sub here against Posh (when Evans was managing Peterborough) and he came off the bench and caused us real problems. I was buzzing when I saw that team-sheet and he was on the bench.

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“We were under the cosh at the time he came on and I said to Paul Raynor (assistant manager), ‘oh god, here comes Eavsy!”

“We got through it and won but there is mutual respect there.”

Evans knows it will be tough to replace someone like Eaves, but he’s working hard on it.

He said: “We don’t have big fees to go and pay clubs and that chairman has never hidden that. There will not be a penny more spent on the budget this year than what was last year.

“I just have to make sure there is better value for money. We have to make every penny work.”

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