Gillingham beat Port Vale in race to sign Will Goodwin after Oxford United release

Gillingham are set to win the race to sign Will Goodwin, sources have told Football Insider.

The 24-year-old striker was released by Oxford United at the end of the 2025-26 campaign upon the expiry of his contract.

Gillingham have managed to beat off competition from Port Vale, Shrewsbury Town and Colchester United to secure his signature.

Goodwin spent the 2025-26 season on loan to Colchester, where he scored four goals in 30 matches in all competitions.

At Oxford United, he struggled to break into the first team, and his opportunities only got more limited upon their promotion to the Championship.

The Gills will be hoping that the addition of the striker can help pull them towards the playoffs after finishing 17th in League Two this season.

Goodwin originally began his career at Chester, progressing through their academy before eventually making his debut in January 2020 at 17 years old.

Sensing the potential of the striker, the six-foot-one-inch striker was snapped up by Stoke City in 2021.

At the Potters, he would spend three seasons at the club, not making a single first-team appearance amid loan moves to Hartlepool United and Torquay United.

In 2023, Cheltenham Town brought Goodwin from Stoke City for an undisclosed fee, and he would shine at the Robins.

After six goals in 16 League One matches in the 2023-24 season, he earned a move to Oxford United.

While he was part of the side that won promotion to the Championship, he only played three times for the club in the second tier before he was released.

Despite his poor goal return at Colchester this season, many of Goodwin’s stats were excellent in League Two.

According to Fotmob on 10 June, he was averaging 0.30 goals, a 0.25 xG, 2.33 shots, 0.83 successful dribbles, 4.96 aerial duels won and 5.11 touches in the opposition box per match.

Therefore, if he is given consistent starts at the Gills, there is every chance that he can become a key asset for the League Two club.

However, it remains to be seen how successful Goodwin will be at the club in the 2026-27 campaign.