By OkayGoal
For a while now, Nicolas Jackson has been one of Chelsea’s more debated attacking options given that he is someone who is widely regarded as talented but inconsistent, with more question marks around his end product than his underlying ability.
This pre-season, though, has offered some of the clearest evidence yet that things might genuinely be clicking for him.
Nicolas Jackson has looked good this pre-season
Even in relatively sparse appearances across the summer’s friendlies, Jackson has looked sharper, more composed, and more influential than he has for much of the past year. His passing and link-up play in particular have stood out. We saw how he was putting in smart balls into teammates, making better decision-making in the final third, and had a general sense of a player playing with more confidence than he’s shown in a long time.
It’s not a single standout performance driving that is bringing us and a lot of Blues faithful to this conclusion. It is rather a pattern that we have seen across multiple outings, which carries more weight than any one eye-catching cameo.
Part of what makes this feel different is the suggestion that Jackson has built a strong early relationship with Xabi Alonso specifically. Whether that’s the underlying cause or simply a coincidence of timing, the shift in his overall level of performance has been hard to ignore for anyone who’s watched him closely this summer.
Where can Xabi Alonso fit him though?
Tactically, there’s a credible path forward here too. Operating from the left or in a slightly deeper role, Jackson looks well suited to playing second fiddle to Joao Pedro in a central striking role, in a similar dynamic to how Danny Welbeck has operated at times, a rotation option capable of starting matches rather than simply being an impact substitute.
Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer have also long shared a strong on-pitch understanding when both have featured together, which only adds to the sense that there’s a genuinely productive role available to him this season if he can maintain this level.
It’s worth remembering where the conversation around Jackson stood only a matter of months ago, when a summer departure looked like a real possibility.
That a shift of this scale has happened in the space of one pre-season is notable in itself. If this form carries into competitive fixtures, Jackson looks like a player who’s done more than enough to force his way properly into Alonso’s plans for the season ahead rather than simply making up the numbers behind the club’s more high-profile forwards.
