Nicolas Jackson yet showed his importance to the Chelsea team with an important goal in Anfield and amidst the defeat and the opener in the win over Newcastle United last weekend — the Senegalese displayed why he is not going away despite not being appreciated by many of the club's supporters.

The striker has faced a tumultuous start in the Premier League, yet he remains a critical asset. Known for his athleticism and versatility, Jackson's ability to drop deeper to link play, confuse opposition defenders, and create central overloads often goes unnoticed.

His tactical flexibility allows Chelsea to employ different attacking strategies, making him a valuable team player. He has earned his place and continues to start, even under different managers.

While his finishing has drawn criticism, Jackson's underlying metrics tell a different story. His expected goals places him among the top forwards in the Premier League, indicating his aptitude for getting into dangerous positions.

Finding his Groove in West London

Nicolas Jackson arrived at Chelsea in the summer of 2023 aß a striker with no reserved reputation. The highlight of his career, at the time was the impeccable run-in he had inthe 2022-23 La Liga season, where he produced nine goals and two assists in the final eight games for the Yellow Submarines. 

17 months on, he is Chelsea's striker. A man whose name without a doubt will always feature in the starting XI whenever fit and available for selection. First he earned his status by being available, but now he has sealed the deal on merit.

One could admit the injuries to Christopher Nkunku last season played a part. The Frenchman was a more significant signing for Chelsea than Jackson, but ultimately, it is the Senegalese who has proved a better deal so far.

With 20 goals in 44 Premier league games since his debut in the competition last season, all from open play, only Erling Haaland and Ollie Watkins have more in that period. Jackson has also assisted eight goals in the competition.

With 32 goal involvements in 54 games across all competitions, he is steadily climbing the reliability ladder at Chelsea, and his overall game play is getting more exciting to see.

The former Villarreal striker has scored six Premier League goals this season from an expected goals of 6.04. Not only is the number cool for a player who has missed five big chances, the fact that no Chelsea player has scored more from open play this season highlights his importance.

In addition, Jackson is also the most clinical amongst all Chelsea players to have attemted at least two shots in the league this season. 13 out of his 22 shots have been on target, earning him an accuracy of 59.1 percent.

Though he has admitted to missing many chances, according to Jackson himself, he is working on refining his decision-making in front of goal to fulfill his potential. His technical prowess, combined with a strong partnership with teammates like Cole Palmer, demonstrates his importance beyond just goal-scoring.

Jackson's trajectory suggests he may become a top-tier forward, especially as he continues to fine-tune his game under the coaching staff of Enzo Maresca at Chelsea and Aliou Cisse at National team, and with the set of players that complements his dynamic style.

Despite the his minor shortcomings, he is far from unwanted, carving out a niche that is already silencing his critics.

Nicolas Jackson: The Perfect No.9 for Chelsea

In the ranks, Chelsea do have other players that can be deployed in the No.9 position. The closest to Jackson in the pecking order is Christopher Nkunku, the Frenchman who has scored more goals than anyone for the club this season.

However, Nicolas Jackson’s style makes him a more suitable striker for Chelsea than Christopher Nkunku in several key areas.

The 23-year-old offers versatility with his movement off the ball, which allows him to drop deeper into midfield and connect play. His ability to create space for wingers and attacking midfielders, like Cole Palmer, enhances Chelsea's fluidity in attack.

While Nkunku is more of a clinical finisher and thrives in a secondary striker role, Jackson’s ability to press high, disrupt opposition defenses, and hold up play gives Chelsea a dynamic edge in a high-intensity system.

Nicolas Jackson has also shown a better finisher instinct than any other Chelsea player in the Premier League this season with 23.8 percent shot conversion, even better than Cole Palmer with 21.4 percent, and Christopher Nkunku with 20.0 per cent.

His combination of physicality and pace makes him a constant threat in transition, whereas Nkunku is more reliant on positioning and precision finishing.

Jackson’s style, which emphasizes athleticism and tactical intelligence, also complements Chelsea's current tactical approach, where adaptability is key.

Nkunku on the other hand excels in finding space behind defenders, Jackson’s overall contribution—both in and out of possession—makes him more integral to Chelsea’s pressing game and buildup play​.

Getting Recognized for his Talent

For a striker who is so underrated by its own fanbase, it is difficult to get praised, even so as fans continue to criticize your selection week in and out, when in their own knowledge there's a better alternative on the bench.

Ahead of Chelsea's meeting with Brighton in September, Fabian Hurzeler took time to acknowledge the talent of Nicolas Jackson in his prematch conference.

"I think he is the full package. He wants to combine. Sometimes, he's getting more space where he can combine with his teammates." Said the Brighton manager.

He's also very fast - he can attack the defence. This mix, this balance, makes him very dangerous for us. Of course, he is a top striker, and at the moment, he's in very good shape, so you can't defend against them in a one-against-one." He added.

Although Cole Palmer's poker was the highlight of the day, Jackson's contribution by assisting Chelsea's first to level at 1-1 was a major turning point in the game, a decisive moment that highlights his unselfishness and a proper team player.

Nicolas Jackson was also recently voted the best Senegalese player playing abroad for 2023/2024 — with 203 votes, he beat Kalidou Koulibaly and Cherif Ndiaye, who have 167 and 47 votes respectively.

Silencing His Critics in Style 

Nicolas Jackson was criticized as not good enough to lead the lines for Chelsea by its legend John Mikel Obi in the wake of the 2-0 defeat to Manchester City on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.

The striker has however turned things around, or let's say continues to do what he has been doing for the club, maybe a little bit better of recent. With five goals and three assists in his last seven Premier League games, even Mikel Obi has admit defeat in the subject.

The Nigerian recently conceded that his earlier criticism of Nicolas Jackson was aimed at helping the player improve, not to demean him. Following Jackson's stellar performance in Chelsea's 3-0 victory over West Ham, where he scored twice and assisted another goal, Mikel praised the forward for his resilience.

"I came out and said it, and now he's shutting everyone up—not just me, but all his critics." Mikel continued by praising Jackson for handling the criticism well, adding, "Credit to Nicolas Jackson. He’s improving, scoring goals, playing well, and his link-up play has significantly improved"

With 32 goal involvements in 54 Chelsea games, Jackson, still only 23, can and will only get better. The talent is there and so is the willingness to get better, with time, he will finally arrive at that point, where he fulfills all the potential and become one of the best strikers around.