Nicolas Jackson survives halting start to take Chelsea’s No.9 spot | Chelsea

IIt was an idea that was briefly mooted, a conversation that soon ended, but there was a moment last summer when Chelsea were talking about including Nicolas Jackson in a deal that would have taken Newcastle’s Alexander Isak in the opposite direction.

There was great admiration for Isak at Chelsea. They were keen to add a top striker to Enzo Maresca’s squad and the Sweden international was at the forefront of their minds. Was a deal possible? Newcastle had concerns about profitability and sustainability regulations, although they would never sell Isak cheaply. The only way to make this work was to follow the route preferred by many Premier League clubs: changing the fee by using players as part of the deal.

The talks never came to fruition, however, and perhaps that’s a good thing for Chelsea considering Jackson is in top form ahead of Sunday afternoon’s visit to Newcastle. The Senegal international scored his fifth goal of the season in last weekend’s unfortunate defeat to Liverpool and is doing his best to silence rumors that Maresca’s squad is only missing a world-class number 9 alongside a reliable goalkeeper.

Pundits have wondered how it is that Chelsea have spent so much without ensuring they have a lethal goalkeeper up front? How could co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart be so short-sighted? How could the owners not pull out all the stops to sign Victor Osimhen from Napoli?

The irony is that Chelsea will be rewarded for betting on Jackson in the summer of 2023. They overspent on a few signings, but Jackson is starting to look like a bargain. He arrived from Villarreal for just £31.8m – Rasmus Højlund cost Manchester United £72m – and although he was occasionally the target of ridicule during his debut season in England, he is clearly moving in the right direction under Maresca’s leadership.

It is true that Isak can move more smoothly than Jackson, a safer and more versatile finisher, colder and more varied in front of goal. Jackson can seem rushed, unpredictable and insecure. He was pilloried after missing a number of glaring opportunities last season when Chelsea lost the FA Cup semi-final to Manchester City.

It was also ridiculous that Jackson had to serve a one-game suspension after being repeatedly warned for dissent at the start of last season. Mauricio Pochettino, Maresca’s predecessor, could only despair at the inexperience and naivety. Internally, however, there was patience.

It didn’t help that Jackson had reached a good agreement with Christopher Nkunku in pre-season, only for Nkunku to suffer a serious knee injury before playing a competitive minute for his new club. Chelsea knew the young player was under undue pressure due to his history of chewing up and spitting out strikers.

But Jackson rose to the challenge and exceeded all expectations. He is fast, strong, unselfish and awkward, and his holdup game is underrated. Some of the moves and dismissals are nothing short of Giroud-like, and Jackson’s understanding of Cole Palmer is a source of encouragement. Of course there is room for improvement.

Jackson scored 14 league goals and provided five assists last season, although three of those goals came against nine-man Tottenham. It must be said that there were some startling errors. There was more than one long period without a goal.

But Chelsea were a weaker team when Jackson was missing. He creates space for teammates and creates chaos. There can’t be a defender who enjoys playing against him, and the argument that Jackson would have benefited from being the understudy to a more expensive striker ignores the damage that may have been done to his confidence and development.

This is a player who becomes more confident with a clear path. Only Palmer, Erling Haaland, Mohamed Salah and Bukayo Saka have scored more Premier League goals this season than Jackson’s eight. The statistics are in his favor and he is starting to pass the eye test. While some of his goals last season were clumsy or opportunistic, his strike against Liverpool was a real striker’s play. Jackson diverted his run to stay onside and escape his spotters, then equalized with a ruthless finish.

It was a similar story when Chelsea destroyed West Ham last month when Jackson beat Alphonse Areola at his near post to make it 1-0 and added a second goal with a nerveless finish from Moisés Caicedo’s free-kick. There was also a close-range header against Wolves, a tap-in against Crystal Palace and a selfless, devastating performance as Palmer’s four-goal haul stole the show against Brighton.

Now the challenge is to keep going. Chelsea’s top-four hopes could depend on Jackson maintaining his goalscoring rate. You still feel dependent on him. When they drew with Nottingham Forest this month, they were concerned about not having an alternative striker. Marc Guiu, 18, is raw. Nkunku can finish, but seems to play better at one focal point. João Félix, Mykhailo Mudryk and Pedro Neto are creative talents who need to produce more.

But none of this is Jackson’s fault. He’s outdoing Isak at the moment and doing everything he can to make Chelsea forget about missing out on Osimhen.