Non-league gamble could hand Derby County, Bolton Wanderers or Barnsley next Macaulay Langstaff | OneFootball

Ilkeston Town's Tom Cursons is on the radar of several clubs and could be the next Macaulay Langstaff.

Since Macaulay Langstaff’s record-breaking move to Notts County, clubs up and down the Football League have been desperate to re-create that deal and snatch their own goalscoring gem from non-league.

The latest non-league star to be linked with a move into the professional game is Ilkeston Town striker Tom Cursons, who already has 20 goals to his name in the Northern Premier League this season.

Derby County, Bolton Wanderers, Barnsley and Peterborough United are all thought to be chasing the 23-year-old striker, who is already beginning to make a name for himself, despite currently plying his trade in the seventh tier of the English game.

For the four clubs interested, a move for Cursons could prove to be that Langstaff-esque deal that so many clubs are targeting.

An EFL move would be a huge step-up for Cursons

With 20 goals to his name in 2024/25, Cursons has played a huge part in Ilkeston’s fantastic start to the campaign.

The Robins are currently sat fourth in the Northern Premier League, chasing promotion to the National League North.

According to Football Insider, Cursons is out of contract at the end of the season, with Ilkeston preparing to be inundated with offers for their star man.

Ilkeston have previously turned down offers from Cursons, who recently netted a nine-minute hat-trick in their 5-0 demolition of local rivals Basford United on New Year’s Day.

With four prestigious Football League clubs now interested in his services, surely Cursons will move on in January.

Among the interested parties are Derby County, who have struggled in front of goal all season, netting just 31 goals so far.

While the Rams are undoubtedly the best fit for Cursons in terms of location, they also represent the biggest step up. A move from the seventh tier to the Championship is an astronomical leap in quality, one that would surpass the extent of even Langstaff’s initial move.

With that in mind, perhaps a League One move is more likely. Play-off chasers Barnsley and Bolton Wanderers are believed to be interested, while Peterborough United are also keen.

Although the Posh are enduring a tough and disappointing season, they have a huge reputation for plucking talent out of non-league and developing them ready for a big move.

If any of these four clubs made a move for the striker, it would undoubtedly be a huge gamble, considering that even a League One move would be a four-league jump for Cursons.

Wherever he ends up in January, it will likely be a significant step up from the standard of football he is currently used to, meaning there will surely be eyes from all across the EFL fixed on him, keen to see how he adapts.

Tom Cursons could be the next Macaulay Langstaff

While every player is different, it’s hard not to immediately draw comparisons between Cursons and Langstaff.

With Cursons having already netted 20 goals at this stage of the season, in the unlikely event he was to remain at Ilkeston until the summer, he would surely be pushing for a total similar to the 32 goals Langstaff netted for Gateshead back in 2021/22.

Although Langstaff’s 32-goal season came one league higher than Cursons is currently playing, a tally of 20 goals by early January is certainly not to be sniffed at, at any level of football.

The former moved to Notts County at the end of that season, for a fee believed to be in the region of £50,000. He then rewarded the Magpies' gamble with a record-breaking two-year spell at Meadow Lane, plundering 71 goals from 97 games in all competitions.

The Teessider netted an astonishing 42 league goals, all from open play, as Notts secured a return to the Football League in 2022/23, before scoring 28 league goals in his first-ever taste of the EFL the following year.

He got a move to the Championship last summer with Millwall paying a fee believed to be in the region of £700,000, according to Football Insider. Although he has struggled for form so far in the second tier, it’s easy to forget just how far down the pyramid he was playing three years ago.

Langstaff’s progression has provided a blueprint for EFL clubs to look into non-league and at the same time, serves as hope for the likes of Cursons that it’s never too late to find a way into the professional game.

With the four clubs already circling, it looks set to be a busy January for Ilkeston, who will surely be keen to rake in a substantial fee for their star man, rather than risk seeing him leave for nothing in the summer.

While a move to League One or the Championship would be a huge step-up for Cursons, if he proves to be capable at EFL level, comparisons with Langstaff will become more and more common.