Eli King has recently recovered from an anterior cruciate ligament injury he sustained while at Cardiff City. Gillingham boss Gareth Ainsworth said the club’s medical team will decide when Eli King is ready to make his debut. Ainsworth admitted King’s ACL injury was the reason he became available to Gillingham, despite his Championship experience and Wales under-21 caps. Ainsworth also thanked Cardiff, their manager Brian Barry-Murphy, and his own recruitment team for completing the signing.

Gillingham have announced the signing of midfielder Eli King from Cardiff City on deadline day. The 23-year-old has joined the League Two club on a permanent deal for an undisclosed fee. Although Cardiff boss Brian Barry-Murphy had initially allowed the Welsh academy graduate to depart on loan, the move was finalised as a permanent transfer. King travelled from the Welsh capital to Gillingham's away match at Chesterfield to complete the transfer, starting his journey immediately after training that morning on a day the player described as a whirlwind. The midfielder has 14 caps for the Wales U21 national team and a current Transfermarkt market value of €150k.