Nicolas Jackson is back at Chelsea after spending last season on loan with Bayern Munich.
The Senegalese striker had reportedly fallen out with Enzo Maresca last summer, and was replaced in their squad. The Blues added both Joao Pedro and Liam Delap to their striker department, with Jackson sent out on loan.
It came after Jackson had scored 24 Premier League goals across his first two seasons with the club.
But with Xabi Alonso now Chelsea manager, there’s a decision to be made. Is Jackson someone they want to keep in the squad? Or is it time to cash in?
In this article, we’ll cover
Data
Jackson played 34 games for Bayern Munich across all competitions, but he often came off the bench to play. He scored 11 goals during that time, including eight in the Bundesliga.
Across 23 league appearances, Jackson still averaged 0.36 big chances created per 90 minutes, while scoring 0.63 big chances himself. But he did also miss 0.9 big chances per 90.
It was a similar story to his 2024/25 campaign with Chelsea. The Senegalese striker missed 0.76 big chances per 90, averaging 3.06 shots and hitting the target with 46.05% of his efforts.
But you can see the clear departments he excelled in. Jackson got plenty of touches in the opposition box, provided assists and created for others. Not to mention getting himself into positions to score.
Major strengths
Perhaps Jackson’s biggest strength is his ability to receive the ball, get turned and carry his team up the pitch.
With a defender on his back, Jackson is brilliant at feeling where the contact is coming from. He can then use the opposition’s momentum against them. Jackson then has tight-space manipulation using clever touches around the corner, and turns to escape pressure. All before bursting into the space ahead of him at speed.
The 25-year-old is also underrated when it comes to creating for others. Jackson often has a good weight of pass and finds creative solutions to play in those around him.
Jackson uses this to release runners ahead of him, often after a carry. But also to link play in close proximity to other attackers.
The striker can play with his back to goal, using shadow play to bring others into action, before moving to provide the next option. Shadow play describes when Jackson accesses spaces his body is oriented towards.
This is probably Jackson’s second-biggest strength. His activity to offer himself as an option, whether that’s in close proximity to the ball player, or by making runs in behind.
Comparison to current options
Many are expecting Pedro to be Chelsea’s starting striker this season. But Danny Welbeck has also joined from Brighton and Hove Albion, with Alonso specifically asking for the 35-year-old centre-forward option.
With two centre-forwards already guaranteed as important members of the squad, the striker unit only really has room for one more. Delap and Emmanuel Emegha are the two options alongside Jackson, as Chelsea look for solutions for their players.
Delap had a poor first season at Chelsea, scoring just one league goal in 28 appearances. He averaged 2.2 shots per 90, only converting 2.78% of his shots. Emegha only made 10 appearances in Ligue 1 last season due to injury. But when looking at his 2024/25 stats, the Dutch forward was scoring 0.6 goals per 90, converting 22.95% of his shots and also providing 0.2 assists per 90.
Then you have Jackson. The Senegalese striker averaged 2.8 shots per 90 in the Bundesliga, scoring 0.8 goals. He also created 1.7 chances and had 8.6 touches in the opposition box per 90.
While Jackson is clearly the best current option, he is also the player with the most interest in the market. So Chelsea could take the decision to sell him, along with Delap who is also gathering interest, with Emegha staying as the third striker.
Tactical fit/flexibility
Jackson fits Alonso’s ideas really nicely, as has already been seen in his limited minutes during pre-season.
Coming off the bench against AC Milan, Jackson played alongside Pedro, which could be seen as a double striker setup. But also as one playing behind the striker.
As Pedro showed playing alongside Welbeck, Jackson and the Brazilian have the fluidity to interchange positions, with one dropping deep to link play and the other threatening on the last line.
This is something that would work really nicely. Pedro’s instinct is to drop deep and link play, while Jackson is always attuned to the space that opens up if a centre-back steps up to follow, creating chances to attack depth behind the defensive line.
Of course, Jackson can also just act as an out-and-out No.9, if Pedro is unavailable, with Morgan Rogers expected to start alongside Cole Palmer behind the striker.
Having versatile forwards like Jackson and Pedro in the striker unit makes a lot of sense, adding tactical versatility to Alonso’s squad.
A clear strength of Jackson’s which wasn’t mentioned earlier, is the sheer fact he makes others around him better, helping to get the best from other attackers and playing to their instincts.
Palmer can find Jackson’s runs in behind, Pedro can link with and create space for Jackson to exploit, Rogers would interchange nicely with him too.
Overall, Chelsea should be looking to keep Jackson for Alonso’s squad when it comes down to quality, the only factor could be the Blues needing to recoup funds, with Jackson having a good market for a fairly sizeable fee.