Charlton Athletic midfielder agrees MK transfer return

Charlton Athletic midfielder Alex Gilbey has agreed a summer switch to Milton Keynes.

The 28-year-old, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Stevenage, will sign for the League Two club when his SE7 terms expire at the end of June.

Charlton boss Dean Holden took disciplinary action against Gilbey after a video emerged of him joining in a derogatory chant about his parent club following Stevenage sealing automatic promotion to League One.

Gilbey joined the South Londoners from MK in the summer of 2020 with the club’s financial issues at the time meaning they needed special dispensation from the EFL to push through transfers for both him and Hearts striker Conor Washington.

He was never able to produce the form which saw him become a back-to-back winner of MK’s Player of the Year award.

Gilbey scored six goals in 66 matches for Charlton.

“As soon as I found out there was interest, I wanted to get this done because I wanted to come home and come back to the club,” Gilbey told MK’s official website.

“I absolutely loved my time here before – I’d say they were three of the best years of my career so far. I feel like I have some unfinished business to take care of and I want to help the club get back to where it should be.”

MK were relegated from League One at the end of last season.

Gilbey is head coach Graham Alexander’s first signing.

Alexander said: “We have a clear idea of our recruitment drive this summer. We will sign any player that has the right attributes but there is a need to bring in some know-how and winning experience and Alex brings all that, having been promoted twice from this division, just last season and with this club as well.

“I know he has a real affection for this football club and looking in the whites of his eyes, I saw the motivation he has to do well for all the right reasons. I think we have a really good player on our hands.”

PICTURE: KEITH GILLARD