What Jackson suitors need to consider

Nicolas Jackson has been Chelsea's first-choice striker for the past two seasons but the recruitment of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap have left his future in doubt.

The 24-year-old would tick a lot of boxes for potential suitors, though he would not come cheap. Jackson's pace and work-rate make him a real threat on the counter-attack and he repeatedly stretches defences with runs in behind.

Last term, his average of 25.5 sprints per 90 minutes was the third-highest in the Premier League. He is also usually tidy in possession, completing 77.5% of his passes since 2023-24, despite often operating in congested areas.

Discipline and finishing are two areas with obvious scope for improvement, particularly given those dismissals against Newcastle and Flamengo at the end of last season. He has accumulated 17 yellow cards in the league, only three of which were for fouls against the opposition. The rest were for other infractions such as dissent, arguing and time-wasting.

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Another room for growth is his finishing. He has a solid scoring record of 24 goals from 65 Premier League appearances (59 of them starts) but he has underperformed his expected goals total by seven over the past two years, the second biggest negative difference by any player.

A key factor has been his record in what Opta define as 'big chances'. Jackson has just scored 18 of 61 such opportunities, a relatively low conversion rate compared to the league's top forwards.

The former Villarreal player has hit the woodwork nine times over the past two seasons, the joint-highest figure in the top flight. But whether he intends to fend off competition from Delap and Joao Pedro, or thrive at another top club, he will need a little more composure in front of goal.