The 'Senegalese Neymar' hoping to cause mayhem for Chelsea
- Published
Joe Bradshaw, BBC Sport
On the brink of a move to Bournemouth in January only for injury to scupper his hopes, Nicolas Jackson now finds himself as a Chelsea player.
So what will the "Senegalese Neymar" bring to Mauricio Pochettino's side?
Well, as his nickname suggests, dribbling.
The 22-year-old loves to move forward with the ball and was in Europe's top 10% last season for progressive carries.
He has a box of tricks and is not shy about deploying them - only Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior, external had more goal contributions after a dribble across Europe's big five leagues than Jackson in 2022-23.
When he first broke through, his favourite position was on the left wing, cutting inside on to his preferred right foot.
However, towards the end of last season, he was deployed mainly as a striker for Villarreal and he exploded, finishing the campaign with nine goals in eight games.
An answer to Chelsea's goalscoring woes? Well, while not a classic centre-forward in the mould of Manchester City star Erling Haaland, Jackson can operate across the attack and is lethal when given the opportunity.
He only averaged two shots on target per game last season, but he scored one in every three. That placed him in the top 2% for all European strikers in 2022-23.
Innately mobile, his constant movement will make him a thorn in the side of Premier League defences who became accustomed to a static Chelsea attack last season.
He is tall, but his aerial ability needs work, so any Blues supporters hoping for a Didier Drogba-style physicality will initially be disappointed.
However, given his raw ingredients, his age and the record of Pochettino in polishing young players, the evidence suggests Chelsea have signed a forward of immense potential.
Jackson has an eight-year contract to fulfil it.