Leeds United target Jack Tucker is a defender with Premier League quality in his boots, Gillingham boss Steve Evans has told the club’s official website.
Any hopes the Gills had of keeping hold of a talented young centre-half appear to have been scuppered by a global health crisis which has flipped the footballing world on it’s head.
With money from gate receipts drying up for obvious reasons, The Mail suggests that the League One outfit may have no choice but to cash in on their prized assets to raise funds during the summer transfer window.
And that means Tucker, the £1.5 million prospect, might have already played his final game for the Kent-based outfit.
Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds have identified the 20-year-old as a potential replacement for star loanee Ben White, while Celtic, Rangers, West Ham United and Southampton are also casting admiring glances in Tucker’s direction.
And according to Evans, a man who coached at Elland Road from 2015 to 2016, the Gillingham academy graduate should adapt to a potential step up like the proverbial duck to water.
“Jack Tucker has stepped up. I said to (Gillingham’s assistant manager) Paul Raynor that he could play in the Premier League, in time. He’s not ready yet, but he could certainly play in the Championship tomorrow,” said the outspoken Scot.
In Marcelo Bielsa, Leeds have a coach who is renowned for his ability to eke every drop of potential out of his young stars. Jack Harrison, Ben White, Kalvin Phillips and many, many more have produced the best football of their young careers under the enigmatic Argentine.
And the chance to hone his talents under Bielsa will surely appeal to a player like Tucker.
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