Chelsea have wasted no time in doing some transfer business as they have captured promising forward Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal.
The forward’s signature was announced by Chelsea on Friday in a deal worth €37m (£32m).
The Senegal international is Chelsea’s second arrival this summer following the landing of Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig.
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To quite a number of Premier League fans, the name ‘Nicolas Jackson’ may be relatively unknown. So who is he and why has Chelsea secured his services on an eight-year contract?
Early Career
Born in Banjul, the capital city of The Gambia, the 22-year-old migrated to Senegal at age 16. He presently represents the Teranga Lions of Senegal at international level. He also featured for Senegal at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Jackson started his career playing for local side ASC Tilene before teaming up with Casa Sports.
After seeing how promising the young lad was, Villarreal took a gamble on Jackson, signing him in September 2019. He was immediately assigned to the Juvenil A team for developmental purposes.
Jackson was loaned out to Mirandés, a year after he joined Villarreal. The sharp striker netted his first professional goal in a 1-1 home draw against CD Castellón.
Following his time at Mirandés, he returned to join Villarreal’s B team. He played an instrumental role in helping the side attain promotion to the Second Division of Spanish football.
What position(s) can Nicolas Jackson play in?
One interesting thing about him is the fact that he can play across the front three of an attacking triumvirate.
His most lethal position however remains the middle of a front three. He can also play both attacking wing positions brilliantly. That said, it is left to be seen how Mauricio Pochettino will utilise the forward’s versatility.
Failed move to Bournemouth
It may interest you to know that Jackson had tried to join Premier League side Bournemouth in January 2023. However, the proposed move fell through when he failed a medical.
According to reports, he had a hamstring problem that largely contributed to the failed medical.
Limelight
Jackson burst onto the scene, leaving fans on the edges of their seats as well as commentators short of adjectives with his exhilarating performances towards the end of the 2022/23 league season.
His pace, attacking ability and skill propelled him to nine goals and two assists in his last eight games of the campaign.
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Those amazing outings did not go unnoticed as he had a number of clubs jostling for his signature. He also grabbed May’s LaLiga player of the month award.
At Chelsea, Pochettino knows he has a great lad at his disposal but how he decides to set-up his team and the level of discipline instilled in his players will go a long way to see how successful (or not) he will be at the club. These factors will also determine how good (or bad) of a move Jackson’s signing would be.
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