Bolton Wanderers linked with potential swoop for 22-year-old defender | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers have shown an interest in a potential swoop for Gillingham defender Jack Tucker, according to The Bolton News.

The 22-year-old’s contract with the Gills is set to expire at the end of June and has yet to agree fresh terms at the MEMS Priestfield Stadium despite being offered a new deal.

A report from The Sun earlier this month suggested that Reading, Swansea City and Charlton Athletic were all keeping tabs on Tucker’s situation at Gillingham.

However, it has since emerged that the Royals will not be making a move whilst the Jacks are not believed to be committed to securing the services of the defender.

As for Charlton, it is understood that they will also be unlikely to get involved in negotiations with Gillingham over a compensation fee.

Due to Tucker’s age, Bolton will need to agree a financial package with the Gills in order to avoid a tribunal.

During the previous campaign, Tucker featured regularly for Gillingham in the third-tier as his side suffered relegation to League Two.

As well as making 44 league appearances for the Gills, the centre-back also represented the club in the EFL Trophy, the FA Cup and the League Cup.

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The Verdict

Having been linked with a move for Tucker, it will be interesting to see whether Bolton decide to step up their pursuit of the defender in the coming weeks.

Wanderers may be in the market for a new centre-back following their decision to release Alex Baptiste and thus Tucker could prove to be a good fit for the club.

In the 2021/22 campaign, the defender made 1.5 tackles and 1.9 interceptions per game in League One whilst he also won 2.4 aerial duels per fixture as he averaged a respectable WhoScored match rating of 6.78 at this level.

By learning from the guidance of Trotters manager Ian Evatt next season, there is no reason why Tucker cannot go on to make considerable strides in terms of his development at the University of Bolton Stadium.