“That is exactly what I’m going to do” – New Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson opens up on advice from Sadio Mane before Stamford Bridge move
Nicolas Jackson has revealed that he got advice from Sadio Mane ahead of his move to Chelsea. He claimed that the former Liverpool star wants him to listen to Mauricio Pochettino, and that is something he plans to do.
Chelsea announced the signing of Jackson on June 30 after agreeing a deal with Villarreal. They have paid €37 million for the forward—€2 million over his release clause to spread across years.
Speaking to the club's official website, Jackson admitted that he spoke to Mane about the move and was advised to listen to Pochettino.
He said:
"I spoke to Sadio Mane about him and he spoke very highly of him, he said amazing things about him. Sadio told me the manager is going to help me a lot to improve and do well if I listen to what he has to tell me, so that is exactly what I'm going to do."
Sadio Mane never played under Pochettino and joined Southampton just three months after the Argentine moved to Tottenham.
Nicolas Jackson on joining Chelsea
Nicolas Jackson has claimed that it was his dream to join a big team, and moving to Chelsea was ideal for him. He added that he grew up watching Demba Ba, Didier Drogba, and Nicolas Anelka and now wants to emulate them at Stamford Bridge.
Jackson is the second first-team signing of the summer for Chelsea, after getting Christopher Nkunku earlier in the window from RB Leipzig.
Speaking to the club's official website after sealing his move, Jackson said:
"I wanted to join a big team and Chèlsea is one of the best teams in the world, plus I've watched them since I was young. I watched Demba Ba, Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka was good too, big players. So I always dreamed of playing for a team like this."
He added:
"When Chèlsea came there was no question in my mind. I always had this kind of team in my mind. I talked to my family and my agent and I have icons who played here – Drogba and Ba, big strikers."
He continued:
"So when Chèlsea came my heart said the answer should be yes and I decided to follow it and come here. I remember the Champions League final in 2012 and especially when Drogba scored that header right at the end."
He concluded:
"I watched those players for Chèlsea when I was growing up so I decided to follow in their footsteps. Hopefully that's what continues to happen now I'm here."
The 22-year-old was at Villarreal and has had just one loan spell away from the Spanish club—a season at Mirandés. He played just 47 matches for the Yellow Submarines and scored 13 times for them.