Jack Tucker the twenty two year old defender has had some rave reviews this season playing in the Gillingham defence. In fact he has developed immensely since coming to notice in Kent. He has had three seasons of motivated and dedicated improvement at centre back and we now know Russell Martin does see him as potential summer time recruit.

His interest in Tucker should have been more noticeable than it has been as we now know the swans watched him three times last season. Each time we understand he has been effective and very much the lynch pin at the back for the league one club. He has come up against some real physical forwards this season, and with there being little to shout about for Gillingham, Jack is one who has huge potential elsewhere.

Having been at the club since he was seven the Gills have offered him a new contract but he has yet to decide on signing, and he is very keen to listen to offers outside of his boyhood club. Hull City are interested as were Portsmouth last summer, and now the swans are joined by Blackpool in pursuit of a potential new recruit at the back of their defence. Sheffield Wednesday are this morning also being mentioned.

He will not be available as a complete freebie as has been reported though. A free agent he may well become but as he is under twenty four a fee will have to be decided as Gillingham have developed him from a very young age. If it’s down to money then Hull City are in the box seats for sure, more finance is being promised to them from ‘large’ investments in to the club before next season starts.

When speculation started around March time Tucker said “It has been thrown around online but I don’t read too much into it. I am still a Gillingham player and until I am not I will still go out there and give one hundred percent on the pitch and do what I am told. I am contracted here and as far as I am seeing it I am playing here until the end of the season and will do all I can to help the team out and get us out the bottom four.”

Sadly that didn’t work out for him or Gillingham.

Swansea City are on the same level playing field as most of their peers next season. Three clubs coming down from the premier league with a lot of parachute money available means getting any quality in will be hard for Russell Martin. The versatile defender who has spent all his sporting career in Kent and has now amassed well over one hundred league games most certainly wants to leave Gillingham, there’s little doubt in that. Relegated to league two earlier in the month Gills manager Neil Harris has already stated he is far too good for the levels he has played at.

Good players don’t come cheap and Jack Tucker won’t either, that’s for sure. And with the swans most certainly interested they will have to hope if they are successful the arbitration fee is within their reach. File under interest only for now.

Photographs licensed from Reuters

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