Tottenham Targets Chelsea Striker Nicolas Jackson as Backup Option
Tottenham Hotspur have re-emerged in the conversation for Nicolas Jackson, with French journalist Fabrice Hawkins reporting that Spurs are among three clubs tracking the Chelsea forward in the final stretch of the transfer window.
Aston Villa and Atletico Madrid are also said to be monitoring the Senegal international, with a fee of around £60m being floated. That figure is significant, but still shy of the £70m Liverpool have reportedly asked for Cody Gakpo.
This is not the first time Jackson’s name has been linked with Spurs. A Mail report earlier in the window claimed Tottenham were considering a move, only for that story to be quickly dismissed by several English reporters, including Alasdair Gold. Hawkins’ information carries a different weight, though; he has a strong track record, particularly when it comes to French and Francophone players.
The numbers are intriguing. At £60m, Jackson would cost slightly less than the £65m fee mentioned in the Mail’s earlier piece, and he is three years younger than Gakpo while being a natural centre-forward rather than a wide forward who can operate centrally.
Even so, this has the feel of a contingency plan rather than the headline act.
Spurs’ primary focus remains on Savinho and Gakpo as they look to sharpen Ange Postecoglou’s attack. The problem lies elsewhere. PSG are understood to be demanding a very high fee from Liverpool for Bradley Barcola, and if Jürgen Klopp’s side cannot land the Frenchman, they are unlikely to sanction Gakpo’s departure. Tottenham, reading the market, appear to be bracing for that scenario and quietly lining up alternatives.
Jackson fits that category.
The 23-year-old divides opinion. He has underperformed his xG, which will concern some recruitment teams, yet he consistently finds shooting positions inside the box – the kind of profile modern analytics departments tend to like. He has also built a reputation as a persistent threat, even if the finishing has not always matched the volume of chances.
There is the added complication of the Chelsea factor. Jackson has scored against Spurs and would be crossing one of English football’s fiercest divides, a move that never lands softly in north London. But goals have a way of changing the mood. If he were to arrive and start scoring early, any initial resistance from the stands would not last long.
For now, though, Jackson sits in the “Plan B” drawer at Hotspur Way. Tottenham are still pushing their preferred routes, hoping the dominoes involving Barcola and Gakpo fall in their favour.
If they don’t, the Chelsea striker could quickly move from monitored option to live target.
