Gillingham manager Steve Evans has warned there is no room for haggling during transfer talks.

The Gills have signed Olly Lee, Ben Reeves, Max Ehmer and David Tutonda so far this summer.

They’ve all had to fit into a strict wage structure at Priestfield and that will remain the case for all future recruits as Gills prepare for the 2021/22 League 1 season.

“When we pitch our offers from our chairman, that’s our business done, as in the offer is the offer,” said Evans.

“We’ve not got lots of room like other clubs to move hundreds of pounds on a deal, to move thousands of pounds on a wage, we’ve not got that flexibility.

“So we have to almost want players to the extent that they know how much you want them, that they want to play for you.

“That’s what we’ve often built in the last number of years when resources have been tighter.”

Evans won’t give up without a fight when there’s a deal to be done.

He is acutely aware money talks but if he senses a player can be convinced, he’s like a dog with a bone.

Lee, Gillingham’s first summer signing, praised Evans’ persistence after completing his move from Hearts.

And the manager is happy to rely on his powers of persuasion if there’s a realistic chance of making a transfer happen.

“You have to establish early, not in the first minute of the conversation, but you have to establish as to what the real rejection is,” said Evans.

“If the rejection is because someone’s offering them three times the salary we can offer them then it’s a pretty hard sell because money plays a factor in a lot of lives.

“If it gets close with the money, we can and we have done (persuaded them).

“Olly Lee had a better financial offer in League 1, that’s a fact - we sat down, he showed me it.

“We didn’t move ours but I convinced him for football reasons, as to how we could work to improve him, how we can bring better players in, be stronger than we were last year and be in an environment where he’s loved and not just another player.

“We have a small squad and everyone has feelings, it doesn’t matter if you’re a footballer, medical team, cleaners, the people that open the ground, we’re all part of one team. There’s no I in team.

“As soon as someone’s not part of that team, we have a problem, so we try and make our lads feel valued.”

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