“If he gets the right coaching, he could become prolific” - Ian Wright offers opinion on 23-year-old Chelsea star
Former Arsenal star Ian Wright has praised Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson. The player-turned-pundit feels the Senegal international's goalscoring could improve considerably under the right coaching.
The Blues signed Jackson from Villarreal in a reported deal worth £32 million in the summer of 2023. He has scored 21 times and set up eight more in 50 appearances across competitions for the Premier League giants.
Under new boss Enzo Maresca, Jackson has scored four goals and provided two assists in five league games. He was particularly impressive in Chelsea's 3-0 win over West Ham United on Saturday, September 21, scoring twice and registering an assist.
His performance against the Hammers left a lasting impression on Wright, who lauded the 23-year-old.
On The Kelly and Wrighty show, co-host Ian Wright spoke about Nicolas Jackson's finishing and how he can become more prolific.
"Good finish from him the other day. I thought West Ham were very poor, by the way, but good finish from him. If he gets the right coaching around him, he could become prolific," Wright said.
The former Arsenal forward said that the mindset is important for Jackson and spoke about the Senegalese's attributes - pace and link-up play.
"If he gets that in his game where, if I am going to, if I am here, I have got to make sure I hit it over there because the goalie is doing, he has got to get into that mindset of striking, so as then he will become so clinical, and with his pace and with his link-up plays, set up a goal for him as well," he added.
With his brace at the weekend, Jackson is now third in the Golden Boot race behind runaway leader Erling Haaland, who has 10, and Luis Diaz, with five.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca happy with Nicolas Jackson
Chelsea have made an impressive start to the Premier League under new manager Enzo Maresca. The Blues have 10 points after five matches and find themselves narrowly outside the Champions League spots.
After the win over West Ham, Maresca told BBC Sport that he is pleased with Nicolas Jackson's all-round impact on the team and his form.
"We are 100% happy with Nicolas. Since I arrived here, he’s been very good on the ball in terms of goals and assists, but he also did a fantastic job off the ball. We are very happy," Maresca said.
Chelsea are next in action against League Two side Barrow in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night (September 24).