| Jessica Naz | |
| Fullname: | Jessica Naz |
| Birth Date: | 2000 9, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | London, England |
| Height: | 1.65 m |
| Position: | Forward |
| Currentclub: | Tottenham Hotspur |
| Clubnumber: | 7 |
| Youthclubs1: | Tottenham Hotspur |
| Youthclubs2: | Arsenal |
| Years1: | 2017–2018 |
| Clubs1: | Arsenal |
| Caps1: | 2 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2018– |
| Clubs2: | Tottenham Hotspur |
| Caps2: | 80 |
| Goals2: | 11 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2016–2017 |
| Nationalteam1: | England U17 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 3 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 1 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2017–2019 |
| Nationalteam2: | England U19 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 14 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 7 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2021– |
| Nationalteam3: | England U23 |
| Nationalcaps3: | 7 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 1 |
| Nationalyears4: | 2024– |
| Nationalteam4: | England |
| Nationalcaps4: | 1 |
| Nationalgoals4: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | 23:15, 12 July 2024 (UTC) |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 22:02, 12 July 2024 (UTC) |
Jessica Naz (born 24 September 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Women's Super League club Tottenham Hotspur and the England national team. She previously represented England at under-17, under-19 and under-23 youth levels.
Naz came up through the Tottenham Hotspur academy,[1] but made her senior debut for Arsenal on 23 February 2018, coming on as a substitute for Heather O'Reilly for the last three minutes of Arsenal's 1–0 win over Everton in the 2017–18 season.[2]
Naz rejoined Tottenham later in 2018 and helped Tottenham achieve promotion to the Women's Super League, although she missed the 2019–20 season due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury.[1] She returned from injury in December 2020, and in February 2021, signed a contract extension through June 2022 with an option for an additional year.[1]
In December 2021, Tottenham manager Rehanne Skinner elaborated that she believes Naz could become a more dangerous presence, who is "more than capable of scoring goals on a regular basis".[3]
In March 2022, Naz was named Young Player of the Year at the London Football Awards,[4] beating team mate Esther Morgan in the process.[5] On 30 October 2022, as a substitute in the 2022–23 WSL season, she scored two goals in a humiliating 8–0 defeat for Brighton & Hove Albion.[6]
In February 2023, Naz extended her contract with Tottenham for two and a half years.[7]
On January 21 2024, as part of the 2023–24 WSL season, and as a substitute, Naz scored a dramatic winning goal in a 4–3 victory over West Ham.[8] [9]
Naz has represented England at multiple youth levels, from under-17 up to under-23.[10]
On 1 October 2018, with the under-19 squad in 2019 Under-19 Championship qualification, Naz scored a hat trick in a 9–0 victory against Malta in the opening match of the group stage.[11] In April 2019, she scored a further two goals against Sweden and one against Italy in the elite round, helping the England squad to reach the final tournament, with the team winning all their games in the qualification rounds.[12] [13] On 16 July, Naz scored a late goal against Germany in a 2–1 defeat in the 2019 Under-19 Championship group stage, where England finished in third place in Group B.[14]
In November 2021, Naz was named in the under-23 team,[15] featuring in a 9–0 win against Estonia on November 30.[16] In February 2022 she was named in the U23 squad for two fixtures against France.[17] In September 2023, Naz featured in matches against Norway and Belgium,[18] [19] as part of the squad for the new U23 European League during the 2023–24 campaign.[20]
In October 2023, Naz was again named in the England squad for the U23 European League.[21] On 18 October, as a substitute, she scored the opening goal in a 2–0 win against Portugal with her first touches of the ball.[22] [23] On 30 November, Naz featured in a match against Spain as a 90th minute substitute,[24] and on 4 December against France as part of the starting eleven.[25]
Naz received her first senior call-up on 14 May 2024 for the four UEFA Euro 2025 qualification matches played that summer.[26] She was initially only named as a standby player, but was promoted to the full squad following the withdrawal of Lauren James through injury.[27] She made her senior debut on 12 July, coming on as a 71st minute substitute in a 2–1 win against the Republic of Ireland.[28]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| 2017–18 | WSL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2018–19 | Championship | 17 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 23 | 5 | |
| 2019–20 | WSL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | |||
| 2021–22 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 21 | 2 | |||
| 2022–23 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 2 | |||
| 2023–24 | 22 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 32 | 7 | |||
| Total | 80 | 11 | 9 | 3 | 15 | 3 | 104 | 17 | |||
| Career total | 82 | 11 | 9 | 3 | 15 | 3 | 106 | 17 | |||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 2024 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 1 | 0 | ||