Chelsea spent the majority of the recent summer transfer window being persistently linked with a new number 9. The likes of Ivan Toney and Victor Osimhen were heavily touted to be close to making a move to Stamford Bridge, however a move failed to materialise for both. Chelsea were thought to be heading into the new season quite light upfront, with only Spanish youngster Marc Guiu, arriving from Barcelona, to boost the striking department whilst Romelu Lukaku finally ended his Chelsea nightmare by moving to Napoli.
This meant Chelsea went into the 2024-25 season with only Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku as recognised number 9s in Enzo Maresca’s squad, and fans and pundits alike were quick to point out that this might be the difference between a successful or wasted season for the Blues.
A Mixed Debut Season
Jackson endured a mixed first season in London during the 2023-24 campaign, he contributed a respectable 14 goals across 35 Premier League games under Mauricio Pochettino, alongside five assists. On paper, this is a more than reasonable return for the young striker’s first season in England, after making the move from Villarreal.
However, the initial returns only tell half of the story of Jackson’s debut campaign. Whilst there were highlights, such as the hattrick against Spurs, there were also some very frustrating moments for the Senegalese international.
Jackson’s unreliability upfront was becoming more and more apparent, especially in the first half of the season, where he was guilty of missing several guilt-edge chances, and appeared to be lacking the holdup play typically required by a striker in the Premier League. Alongside this, his touch was also often rash, and he accumulated a high number of yellow cards due to ill-discipline, leading to many suggestions he lacked the character and maturity to lead a top four chasing team. As the season ended, Chelsea fans were left with mixed opinions of the 23-year-old.
Jackson Establishing Himself Under Maresca
Despite all his first season worries, Jackson was also quickly developed something of a cult following at Stamford Bridge, with his passion and determination to succeed ever apparent. Coming into the new season, Jackson enjoyed a productive pre-season and was quickly confirmed as Maresca’s chosen man to lead the line.
This has proved to be a very fruitful decision so far, with Jackson racing to six goals in nine games so far, alongside three assists. He’s developing a very promising relationship with Cole Palmer, and Jackson’s all-round game is improving week after week, with delicate touches and intricate link up play becoming a common characteristic of his game.
All of a sudden, the cries for a reliable and high-profile number nine have begun to die down, and Jackson is starting to look like a bargain at only £32million. Surprisingly, he recently became the 5th fastest player to reach 20 Premier League goals for Chelsea, and whilst we’re still in the early stages of the season, Jackson’s game is developing very quickly and he could be the striker to lead the line at Stamford Bridge for years to come.
