After making half a century of appearances for Chelsea in Saturday’s 3-0 win against West Ham at the London Stadium, the statistics of Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson have given fans hope to be confident for the future.
Jackson was signed from Villarreal in the summer of 2023, joining Chelsea for a reported fee of £32m on an eight-year contract.
Despite signing a lengthy contract, which has further been extended by two years with September’s extension until 2033, the Senegalese goal poacher has come under immense scrutiny for his finishing abilities.
Ex-Chelsea player Mikel Obi questioned the forward’s finishing instincts after an underwhelming first-half performance against Manchester City on the opening day of the season, with the 23-year-old hitting back at the Nigerian icon after scoring at Wolves.
Irrespective of the stick Jackson receives, the forward has given a glimpse of how good an asset he could be for Chelsea, scoring four times in five league appearances.
On his 50th appearance, Jackson took his total Chelsea goal tally to 21 after netting a brace at the London Stadium.
His efficiency across his 50 Chelsea outings has seen him net 18 Premier League goals, two FA Cup goals, and an EFL goal.
The Senegalese’s numbers get more startling, with none of his 18 Premier League goals since the start of last season coming from the penalty spot — which puts him above big names such as Heung-min Son, Mohammed Salah, Dominic Solanke, Alexander Isak, and Kai Havertz.
Meanwhile, 40 of Jackson’s 50 appearances have been in the Premier League, where he looks to lay down a marker with each passing performance, with four coming in the FA Cup, five in the EFL and one in the qualifying stage of the 2024-25 Uefa Conference League.
On the balance of play at the London Stadium in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off against West Ham, not only did Jackson showcase pure goalscoring instincts in tucking away his two goals; but the forward mixed up play, dropping deep and combining well with Cole Palmer for Chelsea’s third.
Nicolas Jackson also drew West Ham’s Edson Alvarez out of position and was constantly on the shoulder of the last West Ham defender, looking to run in behind the defence.
The striker added a different dimension to his game, portraying an all-round solid attacking display as a focal point, a willing runner and a goal-getter; an area Chelsea will hope he continues to wrack up the numbers throughout the campaign in order to compete for major honours at the end of the season.
By Andrews Sefa Bamfo
