Like a lot of things in football, patience is paramount. Whether it’s waiting for a striker to find his form or holding out for the right player in the transfer window, persistence can be critical.
But even after the speculation over Chelsea’s attempted deadline day swoop for Napoli star Victor Osimhen, Nicolas Jackson is proving that Enzo Maresca and Todd Boehly were right to stick with him.
Yes, it is still early days into the new season, but the 23-year-old looks a much-improved player from when he first joined the club in 2023 and is making his critics eat their words.
A brace of goals and an assist on Saturday against West Ham saw the £32million Senegal international claim the man-of-the-match award and go joint third in the league’s top-scorers tally.
It was Jackson’s classy, outside-the-boot finish for his second goal that got many talking, while ex-Chelsea star Demba Ba lumped praise on Jackson for his brilliant movement.
Nicolas Jackson is showing signs that he could have a prolific season in front of goal
The Chelsea forward dazzled against West Ham on Saturday, returning an assist and two goals
He and Cole Palmer (right) could both find themselves in the running for the Premier League golden boot award this season
‘Nicolas Jackson’s second goal is a masterclass on creating space,’ Ba wrote on X (formerly Twitter). ‘How he gets the defender out of position and gets in there is top level. Even better than the finishing itself.’
Jackson is proving that he might be settling into the demands of the top-flight having now had a full season of Premier League football under his belt.
During the 2023-24 campaign, he returned an impressive 14 league goals – an excellent haul for a young striker debuting in the English top-flight. It is worth also noting he was two goals shy of Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka and three ahead of Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez.
Equally, across all competitions, Jackson had scored more non-penalty goals since the beginning of last season (18) than Son Heung-min, Dominic Solanke, Alexander Isak Kai Havertz and even Mohamed Salah, according to Squawka.
He could have improved on that tally if he’d have been more clinical in front of goal, with the forward missing a raft of chances throughout last season. Jackson would go on to be ranked third in the league for big chances missed (24) behind Erling Haaland (34) and Nunez (27).
And that is where Jackson has been most heavily critiqued.
Even at the beginning of this season, the striker was questioned over the spate of chances he failed to convert during his side’s 2-0 defeat by Manchester City. It prompted former Blues star John Obi Mikel to issue a rather scathing appraisal of the forward.
Jackson missed 24 big chances last year, but still scored 14 goals in the Premier League
Jackson has been criticised for the number of chances he missed last season, placing third for the most big chances wasted behind Erling Haaland (right) and Darwin Nunez (left)
Former Chelsea star John Obi Mikel criticised Jackson’s finishing against Manchester City
Mikel told beIN Sports: ‘You need a striker who knows how to hit a ball back in the back of the net and that’s what we don’t have.
‘I know I talk so much about him [Jackson] and sometimes I sound like I disrespect him. I don’t disrespect him. I think at Chelsea Football Club we need a top striker who can get us a goal.’
Jackson would go on to score Chelsea’s opening goal during their 6-2 victory against Wolves at Molineux and lashed out at Obi Mikel online, telling him: ‘Shut your mouth. Don’t talk s***, we are killing ourselves for Africa.’
It is true that the 23-year-old’s weakness have largely related to his finishing but the tide is starting to change, with Jackson scoring eight goals and logging three assists in his last 10 top-flight appearances. It’s not just his goal tally that has improved, though – Jackson’s work around the pitch, teeing up his team-mates and pressing on opposition players has also been impressive.
‘It’s true that he deserved (some criticism) because he was missing big chances,’ former Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino said on his finishing last season.
‘But for us, it’s a different judgement. It’s to see the potential and the capacity to improve. Nico has the potential to be a fantastic striker. It’s about patience and time.’
‘Nico, through confidence and working really hard, is changing the opinion,’ he added. ‘I am so happy that now people are starting to see Nico in the way we saw.’
Jackson clapped back at Obi Mikel’s criticisms after scoring Chelsea’s opener against Wolves
Jackson (right) told Obi Mikel to: ‘Shut your mouth. Don’t talk s***, we are killing ourselves for Africa.’
Maresca (left) has been sympathetic to Jackson’s (right) struggles in front of goal over the past year
His confidence certainly seems to be growing as his stock trends even further upward. The more goals he gets, the more composed he looks on the ball and his nutmeg on Alphonse Areola on Saturday seemingly made him hungry for a second.
‘The finish was something I was happy with too,’ he said on his first goal against West Ham. ‘I saw the goalkeeper come towards me and I made the decision to put it through his legs and luckily for me, it came off perfectly. I’ve been working hard on that aspect of my game so I’m happy to score two goals and help the team.
‘That gave me confidence for the second goal and I feel stronger with each game after overcoming my injury from last season. I feel strong and I’m happy with my performance, but also the performance of the team as a whole.’
The return of Christopher Nkunku will have also helped Jackson perform at his best. For Maresca, it is a dream scenario to have both youngsters firing.
‘It can happen,’ the Chelsea manager said. ‘All players miss chances and the important thing is the complete performance,’ the Blues boss said.
He opened the scoring versus West Ham with a precision strike between Alphonse Areola’s legs
Jackson seems to be paying Chelsea’s owenership group back for putting his faith in him
‘Against Bournemouth, it was a good performance from Nicolas but we changed something and Christo came inside [the game] and scored the goal to win the game and that is what we expect from all of them.’
Jackson, though, has made huge strides since he first arrived at Stamford Bridge. Considering his stats over the past 12 months at Chelsea, the 23-year-old is one of the league’s most underrated forwards and is paying Maresca and the Blues ownership team back for putting their faith in him.
