Jackson deserving of praise as Chelsea striker starts to prove doubters wrong

Nicolas Jackson wasn’t ever supposed to be the leading man at Chelsea. Well, not yet anyway. The 22-year-old arrived in the summer, joining the Blues from Villarreal in a deal believed to be worth £32m.  

If reports are to be believed, the Chelsea attack was going to be built around Christopher Nkunku before the former RB Leipzig man suffered a knee injury. As a result, the Frenchman didn’t make his Premier League debut until December.  

It was claimed the Blues were in the market for a centre-forward, despite having Jackson within their ranks. Dusan Vlahovic was a target and there was even talk of a late bid for Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez. Moves for Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia limited what Chelsea could do in the transfer market and Pochettino wasn’t able to bring in a new attacker to bolster his ranks.

He was forced to use the very raw Jackson.   

Few people would’ve watched the Senegal international during his time at Villarreal and instead looked at his goal return. His 12 goals and four assists across 1,603 minutes painted a picture of a striker who could contribute in the final third. However, the truth is he was inconsistent and a purple patch after returning from injury made his season look a lot more impressive than it actually was. After all, there was a reason the Spanish side would’ve sold the striker to Bournemouth in January for a reduced fee.  

Yet he was judged on that return of goals. Expectations were, unfairly, tied to it. He was on the back foot before he’d even kicked a ball for the Blues.   

People expected a reliable goal threat and weren’t prepared for this immature centre-forward who was still honing his craft. Jackson was regularly missing chances and the focus was on that rather than his ability to get into goalscoring positions time and time again.  

They wanted a goalscorer and seemed to overlook he was a genuine goal threat in an inconsistent team in what was his first season in England. They obsessed over the negatives rather than focusing on the positives.  

Now, however, we’re seeing him having an impact in the final third on a regular basis. He’s had time to settle and Chelsea have managed to carve out an identity under Pochettino. Jackson has a goal involvement in each of his last four appearances. He’s chipped in with a goal or an assist in six of his last eight outings.

His return of nine goals in the Premier League can only be bettered by Cole Palmer (11) while the former Manchester City man (8), Malo Gusto and Conor Gallagher (both 5) are the only players with more assists than the No.22 (3).  

As far as debut seasons go, a lot more praise should be going the way of Jackson.  

Yes, he’s missing chances but the best strikers in the Premier League miss. The Chelsea man has missed 15 big chances, a total only Erling Haaland (26), Darwin (22) and Ollie Watkins (18) can surpass. He’s in good company and that should be the focus. If he keeps getting into these positions, the goals will come.  

The 22-year-old is underperforming his Expected Goals total by 3.4 but, sooner or later, he’s going to convert at an average rate and this should see his return spike. The fact is Chelsea possess a striker with an Expected Goals per 90 average of 0.61. He’s a genuine goal threat in a team that is in transition. As he matures and this squad develops as a group, the numbers should increase and it will be genuinely fascinating to see what sort of striker Jackson evolves into.  

There’s a reason Pochettino recently heaped praise on his striker. The Argentine tactician said: "Nico’s 22 years old, he has arrived from a different country and a different league and everyone has put responsibility on him to score goals.  

"For me, he is doing fantastic. I really appreciate his effort. He is very tough and plays football with maturity in the way that he accepts and deals with the pressure. You can see a player who fights, runs and wants the ball even when he has asked for the ball and made a mistake.  

"He never gives up. He is scoring goals. If we see him in his first season here in England, I think he is doing well. Better maybe than people think - much better. We are not at the top and it is difficult to say that he is fantastic, but that has happened with the whole team." 

Had Jackson not signed for a team as chaotic as Chelsea, he would probably be in the conversation for the best signing for the summer. He’s a 22-year-old with 12 goal involvements in just a little over 1,800 minutes. That shouldn’t be taken for granted.