01 November 2023 , 13:52
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Mauricio Pochettino was right to launch a passionate defence of his misfiring forward Nicolas Jackson ahead of Wednesday's Carabao Cup clash with Blackburn Rovers.
It is somewhat scandalous to consider that a club that's spent in excess of £1billion on new signings since the arrival of Todd Boehly is pinning their attacking fortunes on the shoulders of a raw, 22-year-old kid, who has just arrived in the Premier League.
Jackson is not immune from criticism and it's impossible to ignore the technical flaws that have marred his awkward performances since his £32million transfer from Villarreal in late June. But the Senegal international is no proven goalscorer despite his commendable purple patch in La Liga last season that saw him finish up with nine goals in his final eight top-flight outings for the Yellow Submarine.
Chelsea's Premier League Summer Series triumph in the United States immediately clouded all logical expectation as Jackson hit the ground running for the Blues, displaying a cluster of admirable qualities. He looked a composed finisher and made a habit of stretching defences while showcasing an eye-catching turn of pace which troubled the likes of Brighton, Newcastle and Borussia Dortmund during a 1-1 pre-season friendly draw in Chicago.
Just a few weeks later, one excitable Chelsea fan in particular told Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville that Jackson was the second coming of Didier Drogba outside Stamford Bridge ahead of the Premier League opener with Liverpool. Yes, football supporters are notorious for delivering unrealistic comparisons but the remark was telling, Jackson's glistening form - in light of Christopher Nkunku's serious knee injury - began to provide false hope.
Once Pochettino, who has responded to Alan Shearer's recent scrutiny of Jackson on Tuesday, failed to land a marquee No.9 in the latter stages of the summer transfer window, it quickly became clear that he was being dressed up as Chelsea's go-to guy. In that sense, he was destined to fail.
The same is applicable to Manchester United's £72m acquisition of Rasmus Hojlund - compare his faulty start at Old Trafford to the way Julian Alvarez's development was delicately handled by Manchester City last term and the results are rather damning.
Alvarez, who struggled to establish himself as a regular starter for treble-winners City last season even after his World Cup success with Argentina, was handed time to learn from all-conquering record-breaker Erling Haaland. And if you're prepared to argue that Alvarez was never going to play ahead of the Norwegian phenomenon - then why are the pair now complementing one another at the tip of Pep Guardiola's attack? The 23-year-old has started all 10 of City's Premier League matches so far this season.
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Nicolas Jackson was involved in an altercation with a Chelsea fan during the 2-0 defeat to Brentford (Javier Garcia/REX/Shutterstock)For context, less than one year ago, Jackson played just 16 minutes for Senegal at the World Cup in Qatar. Just a matter of weeks later, he was left devastated after a late £20.3m January transfer to Bournemouth collapsed following a gut-wrenching hitch during the first part of his medical.
The Cherries were fighting to keep their heads above water under Gary O'Neil and felt Jackson's hamstring issue would keep him out for some time. Unfortunately for Bournemouth, he would return far sooner than anticipated for Villarreal in early March before finishing the campaign in prolific goal-scoring form. Bill Foley has since disclosed his regret that his side never rolled the dice.
The point is, Chelsea are entrusting a relatively inexperienced player in Jackson, who was identified by both Bournemouth and Southampton as a punt signing to save them from relegation last winter, as the man to fire them back into the top-four. That is just not realistic by any stretch of the imagination.
And to the moronic Chelsea supporter who yelled abuse at the Blues attacker during last Saturday's 2-0 defeat to Brentford - that is hardly going to improve his confidence. The toxicity is only going to hold him back and decrease his chances of fulfilling his potential.
For the record, Jackson has actually been playing through the pain barrier for large parts of the season after sustaining an injury to his wrist in September that required minor surgery. He has worn a splint to minimise discomfort and even withdrew from the Senegal squad for a recent friendly with Cameroon to address the problem.
Therefore, it's only right we give Jackson a fair chance of proving his worth before swiftly dismissing him as yet another Chelsea failure.