Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has weighed in on the performance of striker Nicolas Jackson. The Senegalese international’s £32 million transfer from Villarreal to Stamford Bridge has sparked debates among fans and pundits alike.
While Jackson’s goal-scoring ability has faced criticism, his tireless work ethic, commitment, and high pressing have not gone unnoticed. Pochettino acknowledged that Chelsea felt Jackson’s absence during his stint with the Senegalese national team at the Africa Cup of Nations.
However, with Senegal now out of the tournament, Pochettino revealed that Jackson might find himself on the bench for Chelsea’s upcoming clash against Liverpool on January 31.
Expressing his satisfaction at having Jackson back, Pochettino emphasized the striker’s impact on the team’s pressing and goal-scoring efforts. He stated, as reported by The Chelsea Chronicle:
“But with Nico, we miss this aggressively that he provides in front, he runs a lot, the effort is massive and he helps the team to press high, recover, and then to score goals because also he is scoring goals.”
Pochettino further remarked:
“He has a good record at the moment. I think we miss him a lot and now, yes, happy in some way because we can recover him and the other side, of course, is sad because they lost. But selfishly, I am happy because maybe he can be with us tomorrow.”
Jackson has accumulated eight goals and two assists in 23 appearances across various competitions this season. Despite his limited impact in the AFCON, where he played only 96 minutes without scoring, Pochettino remains optimistic about Jackson’s contributions to Chelsea’s success.
