da aposte e ganhe： The Blues have surprisingly turned to the 21-year-old Villarreal forward in attempt to end their attacking woes in 2023-24
da apostebet： Chelsea did not get a lot right during the 2022-23 season. However, out of all of their problems, few issues irked supporters more than their dire finishing. Kai Havertz bore the brunt of the criticism for his side's measly goal return, but he was not the only guilty party.
In the end, Chelsea would underperform their xG by 13.89. Only Everton and Manchester United were statistically less clinical. With this in mind, it's little wonder that the Blues have made finding a new centre-forward their priority this summer – even if they have already splurged close to £600 million ($769.2m) over the past two transfer windows.
The latest recruit on the Stamford Bridge conveyor belt is Nicolas Jackson, whose arrival at Stamford Bridge in a £32m ($37m) was confirmed on Friday. Jackson is far from a household name, coming close to joining lowly Bournemouth in January. However, he has shown plenty of promise at Villarreal, and snuggly fits the profile of the type of player Chelsea have signed since Todd Boehly's takeover.
GOAL takes a look at his story so far, as well as figuring out why Chelsea have been so keen to snap him up this early in the transfer window.
Getty ImagesWhere it all began
Born in The Gambia, the smallest country in mainland Africa, Jackson was raised in neighbouring Senegal and would go on to commit to the Lions of Teranga at international level. He spent his childhood in the westerly-located city of Ziguinchor and joined local side ASC Tilene.
It did not take long for the giants of the region, Casa Sports, to take notice of Jackson's talents, though. And at 16 he would be placed with the first team, helping them to a mid-table finish in the Senegal Premier League.
International recognition arrived not long after. In November 2018, Jackson was called up by Senegal's Under-20 side, with manager Youssouph Dabo hailing his ability to "put on a show" and crediting his fine dribbling ability.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesThe big break
Like many Senegalese footballers before him, Jackson's big break came when he was snapped up by a European club. There wasn't much fanfare to greet his arrival, with Villarreal not even bothering to announce his signing in summer 2019.
He struggled to shift this anonymity during his early days at the Yellow Submarine, with a loan to second-tier Mirandes returning just one goal in 16 league appearances. He came back to Villarreal with his tail between his leg, but this retracing of steps would end up being the making of Jackson. Playing for the club's B team, he netted five times and registered seven assists to help his side get promoted to the Segunda Division.
He was handed a few first-team minutes during the 2021-22 season too, as well as a full debut in the Copa del Rey. Many people were now sitting up and taking notice of a player who wasn't even deemed worthy of a signing announcement just a few years earlier.
(C)Getty ImagesHow it's going
The 2021-22 season was Jackson's breakthrough, while 2022-23 marked his arrival as a fully-fledged first-teamer. He seemingly set the tone for a life-changing campaign on the very first day, ghosting in at the back post to finish off Yeremi Pino's low cross for his maiden senior goal.
This electric start proved hard to maintain, though, with Jackson netting just once more in the league before a hip injury ruled him out for a spell in the new year. This time away from the field proved to be a blessing in disguise, though.
When he returned, Jackson took no prisoners, with his comeback game representing one of the most chaotic 30-minute cameos in La Liga history. After netting a superb goal, where he beat three Real Sociedad defenders before finding the bottom corner, he conspired to pick up two yellow cards in the final 10 minutes of the contest, leaving him suspended for his side's trip to the Bernabeu the following weekend.
Not to be deterred, Jackson responded perfectly after coming back, netting nine goals in Villarreal's final eight games to help them cement their place in the top five. This quite astonishing burst of scoring form padded his end-of-season stats nicely (13 goals and five assists in 38 appearances).
Getty ImagesBiggest strengths
There is a hell of a lot to like about Jackson's game. His finishing is his most obvious quality, with the caveat that a significant portion of his senior goals came during a purple patch towards the end of last season.
Even still, his record stacks up very favourably against some of the best young players in the world. No player aged 21 or younger boasted a better non-penalty goals per 90 minutes rate than Jackson in Europe's top five leagues during the 2022-23 campaign, with his numbers bettering those recorded by Evan Ferguson, Youssoufa Moukoko and Jamal Musiala.
Jackson has recorded plenty of poacher's efforts during his short career so far, impressing with his ability to produce one-touch finishes inside the box. However, he can create his own openings too. His lightning quick feet and pace gives him the tools to create separation between defenders before firing an effort at goal. His excellent strike against Real Sociedad displayed these qualities, and it's also reflected in the numbers.
Jackson completed 62.2 percent of his take-ons last season, with only five centre-forwards in Europe's top five leagues having more success in this regard. He is always a positive ball-carrier too, capable of picking the ball up out wide or in a deeper central position before driving towards goal. Jackson averaged 2.75 progressive carries per game last season, more than Mason Mount, Diogo Jota and Marcus Rashford.
His off-the-ball movement is another highlight. In a possession-heavy side like Villarreal – only Barcelona and Real Madrid enjoyed more of the ball than them in La Liga last season – getting in behind the opposition defence can be tricky. Jackson has had no such problem, regularly popping up in dangerous areas with space to run into.
This speaks to his footballing intelligence. Jackson knows when to pick his moments to spring in behind, which is an extremely promising sign in such a young player.