How Nicolas Jackson is changing perceptions with Chelsea purple patch
At first glance, it didn’t even seem like the ball had gone in.
Slipping through the Liverpool defence, Nicolas Jackson tucked it into the near corner, but from most angles, no-one in the stadium seemed to notice right away.
This was partly because the net barely rippled, but mostly because Jackson has been hit or miss for Chelsea - at least until this season.
Under new head coach Enzo Maresca, the No. 9 has found a new lease of life, scoring five goals and providing three assists in just eight Premier League matches.
His goal at Anfield was a testament to his current form.
Not only was the finish a far cry from the inconsistent efforts of last season, but his positioning was exceptional.
Nicolas Jackson Transfer Value - how much is he worth now?
According to our player valuation model, Jackson has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €46.8 million.
He moved from Villarreal to Chelsea in a deal worth €38.3m in the summer of 2023.
At the time of his move, Jackson had an ETV of €13m. But, with his red-hot form this season, as well as a Stamford Bridge contract which runs until June 2033, that has increased fourfold.
It would take a sizeable fee to pull Jackson away from Chelsea today, even though there were some doubts about his form last term.
The stats: What does Jackson bring to the table for Chelsea?
Jackson's tenure at Chelsea has been a mixed bag, at least from a general perspective.
However, scoring 14 Premier League goals in his debut season, especially in a campaign where Chelsea struggled, was a respectable achievement.
Notably, none of his goals came from penalties. While he has missed key chances - especially last season - his overall performance was convincing enough for Chelsea to refrain from signing another centre-forward during the summer window even though the opportunities, such as Benjamin Sesko and Ivan Toney, were there.
It’s undeniable that Jackson has had his fair share of glaring misses. His only hat-trick last season came against a depleted Tottenham side, who were down to nine men, and whose head coach Ange Postecoglou decided that the best course of action was to set up as if they were chasing the game in the dying embers.
"It's just the way we do things here, mate," he said after the game (or something to that effect).
But even against Spurs, big chances were missed. Inconsistency has plagued much of Jackson's time at Chelsea, and his team-mates haven't always been able to cover for his mistakes.
Despite an improvement towards the end of the campaign, his first season under Mauricio Pochettino was otherwise underwhelming. Jackson's 14 goals came from an expected goals (xG) tally of 18.7, leaving him under-performing by 4.7xG.
But this season is a lot brighter.
Maresca said of Jackson last month: "In terms of the numbers, so goals and assists, he is doing well since I arrived. Off the ball, he is working hard and if a player misses one or two chances, that does not necessarily mean he is not playing well.
"It can happen. All players miss chances and the important thing is the complete performance. Against Bournemouth, it was a good performance from Nicolas but we changed something and Christo [Nkunku] came inside and scored the goal to win the game and that is what we expect from all of them."
Since then, Jackson has started to yield elite numbers. Indeed, this season has been much brighter.
His five Premier League goals have come from an xG of 5.71, resulting in a positive differential of 0.71.
Along with his assists, it marks a goal contribution in every Premier League match so far. And with such numbers, maybe Jackson can do enough this season that Chelsea put the brakes on signing another striker for years to come.
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