The transfer window is truly hotting up for Chelsea with a number of players set to follow in N'Golo Kante's footsteps to depart from Stamford Bridge. The Blues are making their efforts to trim down their squad that was oversubscribed in the latter half of the season and appear to be finding some success in moving on players where they have previously failed.
However, having spent in the region of £600 million in the last 12 months and beginning to recoup some of that figure, Chelsea do have ambitions of bringing players into the club too. Moises Caicedo has long been a priority, while there is also interest in Romeo Lavia in the centre of midfield.
That said, Chelsea have been looking for a goalscorer for a number of seasons. Having struggled to find a goalscorer to rely upon, Chelsea saw Olivier Giroud and Tammy Abaraham depart in 2021 before the arrival of Romelu Lukaku in the same summer and Pierre-Emerick Aubamyang in 2022. It's safe to say neither truly kicked on and, in an ideal world, the duo would be sold in the coming weeks.
The Blues' abilities to create chances and score goals has been questioned for a long time and in 2022/23 that came to head when a series of managers could only inspire the team to 38 Premier League goals in as many games. Chelsea's primary forward in that time was Kai Havertz and the 24-year-old now appears set for a move to Arsenal.
Enter Nicolas Jackson. The Villarreal forward is said to be heading to London having finished representing Senegal in a win over Brazil and draw with Benin ahead of a £30m move, after a breakout season for the Yellow Submarine.
The 22-year-old notched up 12 La Liga goals in 26 appearances last term, but nine of those came in his final eight appearances of the season. Having played under two managers over the course of the season, Jackson appeared to thrive under the freedom he was allowed by Quique Setien.
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"Nicolas Jackson broke into the team during pre-season a year ago after impressing with his work-rate upfront," Rahul Lakhani from La Liga London and VillarrealUSA told football.london.
"His strength on the ball and attacking movement stood out at a time when Villarreal were desperate for a striker, and Unai Emery gave him a chance to shine in the first team.
"The 22-year-old has developed rapidly in the last 12 months, initially being selected for his physical presence, as despite a lack of goals, his strong all-round displays continued to earn him a place in the side.
"However, his lack of goals started to become an issue as Villarreal struggled going forward as a team in the final weeks of Emery’s reign, and when significant offers arrived from Bournemouth and Southampton in January, no-one was too upset at the prospect of his departure.
"When he returned to the side under Quique Setien following a hip injury, which saw him fail a medical at Bournemouth, he was a different animal. He developed a clinical edge in front of goal and ended the season as one of La Liga’s most in form strikers."
Jackson's upturn in form coincided with his team beginning to click with Setien's style of play after initial struggles with his system.
Lakhani explained: "Although the Setien era at Villarreal had a turbulent and inconsistent start, the team found their form later on in the season, notably as soon as Jackson returned to the team, and finished fifth, higher than any finish under Emery.
"Setien’s change in style to a more possession-focused game initially saw teething problems as all the team’s forwards struggled. Arnaut Danjuma left in January, whilst Gerard Moreno and Jackson suffered from injury problems. When Jackson returned, and developed his form in front of goal, everything finally started to click upfront.
"Both he and Samu Chukwueze have enjoyed the best spells of their careers in recent months, and Jackson’s strong ability to link play with other attackers has been a key component for the side under Setien."
Chelsea have seen forwards struggle to translate their prowess to their Premier League in recent seasons, leading to plenty of frustration on the terraces. More recent transfer business has seen players slower to acclimitise to Chelsea, admittedly in difficult circumstances.
It appears some patience will be needed over Jackson, though a move to the Premier League has appeared 'inevitable'.
Lakhani said: "Despite his size, Jackson isn’t the most dominant in the air compared to someone like Ivan Toney, but his speed, physique and now lethal ability in front of goal makes him more suited to the Premier League than some of Chelsea’s other recent attacking signings.
"Jackson appears more suited to the physical demands of English football than players such as Timo Werner or Alexandre Pato before him, but it may require some patience for him to fully adapt to his new side."
He added: "Ever since he broke into the side, there seemed to be an air of inevitability that he would end up in England at some point. He has arguably been Villarreal’s best player under Setien, and while there will be sadness at his departure, there may be some feeling that the fee for a player who has played for the club for half a season is a good one.
"The reported fee of just under £30m would make him Villarreal’s third-highest sale, only behind Cedric Bakambu and Eric Bailly. The club have already agreed a deal for Ben Brereton-Diaz to join on a free transfer, and the earnings from Jackson’s sale will help fund other moves in the transfer market."
So, with that is he ready to lead the line for the Blues? Jackson is not much older than Armando Broja or David Datro Fofana and Mauricio Pochettino will be required to select who is most suitable for a forward position in his system, with possible competition from Christopher Nkunku too.
"Given how many more proven forwards have struggled at Chelsea in recent years, I would be surprised if Jackson comes in as the immediate first-choice starter upfront," said Lakhani.
"I think Chelsea fans will warm to him if he hits the ground running in front of goal, and he will relish the chance to emulate Didier Drogba at Stamford Bridge.
"Given the struggles some of Chelsea’s recent young attacking signings have faced, Jackson may be an option who can eventually break into the side over the next season or two, rather than a marquee number nine who will immediately transform the struggling attack.
"Even though he has impressed in recent months, with 11 goals and assists in his last eight games, he is still somewhat raw, and his inexperience may mean that he needs time to settle before earning regular minutes in the first team."
Lakhani believes that Jackson can offer similar qualities to one of last summer's major Premier League transfers however. One Raheem Sterling may be enthused by.
"Given his ability to carry the ball and give defenders nightmares with his presence upfront, Gabriel Jesus comparisons spring to mind when comparing him with Premier League forwards," said the Villarreal expert.
"What he previously lacked in front of goal, he made up for with his dribbling and pressing, which helped the team going forward overall."
