Deals for new players at Gillingham are already well advanced.

Manager Neil Harris will have his January transfer budget boosted by funds from new owner Brad Galinson.

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It should put the Gills in the market for some quality additions and Harris wants at least four or five new players in the door next month.

Harris has met the new American owner to discuss the club’s future and the first task is to bring some players in to stop the club from dropping out of the Football League. A 1-0 defeat to fellow strugglers Colchester United leaves them rooted to the foot of the table.

“Wheels are in motion, things are agreed,” said Harris.

“We need to add minimum four or five players in this window, whether that means players stay or leave, I don’t know at the moment. We need to add four to five players to make us better.

“We are trying extremely hard to get players. I have been clear since September where we are short and where we are lacking, who we lack, why we lack it. (We have an) opportunity to change now. We won’t be able to change it all in one transfer window but there are some key areas that have to be adjusted very quickly.”

Gillingham’s takeover by US businessman Brad Galinson was welcomed by Harris, who should now have a competitive budget. It’s an investment that he feels is long overdue.

“Nobody was more overjoyed than me with the news of the 23rd,” he said. “It made my Christmas. That performance (losing 1-0 to Colchester on Boxing Day) has not ruined my Christmas, it is just the nature of the disappointment in the stadium is not nice.

“The football club needs change, it’s needed change for years. We almost created a miracle last year staying in the division with the budget that would have been bottom for this division, let alone the one above.

“This year we just haven’t recruited well enough. We have fresh impetus, a fresh owner coming in, that wants the club to be successful and it’s not just about being successful on the pitch, it’s got to be off it as well, the infrastructure needs to be completely rebuilt from scratch, the academy needs a complete overhaul, there is so much to do.

“There was excitement for the fans and from my staff (after the takeover), the only people who didn’t get the memo were my players.”

It’s not just the Boxing Day fixture which left Harris disappointed in his side, there has been plenty of bad days on the pitch, leaving the team bottom of League 2.

Harris said he knew it was going to be tough since the summer.

He said: “When we realised where we were going to be budget-wise, compared to the rest of the division, then we knew something had to change.

“When I knew (the takeover) had gone through on Friday I was really pleased for everyone. Change is needed and we have got it but it is not going to be overnight success.”

Survival is the main priority now and Harris hopes he’ll be the man to lead the club through to the other side. He’s already met the new man in charge.

“Brad and Shannon (the new owner's wife) are wonderful people,” he said. “They bought the football club because they believe in its future, and how good it can be. It has been a tough period, I have had an horrific period as a manager, I have used the phrase brighter horizons and it is certainly that at the moment, I just hope I am afforded the opportunity to do that.”

Harris is confident that with additions they can avoid the drop and then build again.

“I am confident with the transfer window,” he said, but cautioned it by adding: “It is not easy to do business in January but when you have the opportunity to bring personnel in because your budget is going to be increased - and competing with other teams in the bottom half would be nice - once we can start doing that and (competing with) teams nearer the top, we can bring players in who we think will add quality and value to the group that we already have got, and a change in mindset as well.

“Nobody is stupid enough to expect it to happen overnight and in one transfer window but what we have to do is make sure that we sign the right calibre of player to get us out of the bottom reaches of this division to build for next year and moving forward.”

Asked about his conversation with the new owner, Harris said: “We have not talked about myself, we have talked generally, about family and things like that and ambition, but my position at the football club, positive or negative, has not been discussed, all we have talked about is what the football club needs. The football club is the most important thing, it is not about the manager, the longevity of the club and staying up this year is the main thing.

“It has been a really tough 11 months for me managing this football club, if the horizon is going to be a lot brighter to which it is, then yes I would like the opportunity to be here and deliver that, that is why I came in the first place.

“I put my reputation on the line to manage a club that was really struggling, falling apart basically, I would like the opportunity to help rebuild the football club.

“I have met (Mr Galinson) face to face, he is a really good guy, he has the best interests of the football club at heart first and foremost, and he wants to build something, he wants to build an infrastructure from looking at academy upwards, staffing at all aspects and ultimately he wants to own a successful football club, but he is also very realistic that it takes time.

“I am excited for the future of the football club. They have got real plans to transform it to better levels than we are at the moment.”