Inside Europe: ‘Ready for the next step’ – Can Villarreal striker Nicolas Jackson help Chelsea forget Diego Costa?

Eurosport Spain expert Enrique Sanchez believes Nicolas Jackson has the chance to be a success at Chelsea, saying he is “ready to take the next step.”

Raheem Sterling was occasionally used through the middle, but Chelsea struggled for goals under each of their three managers – Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Frank Lampard – last season, despite spending heavily under new American owner Todd Boehly.

The striker hit 12 goals in 26 La Liga appearances last season, but Sanchez cautioned that while he can play both through the middle and from the wings, he prefers to operate as a player who cuts in from the flank, so Chelsea may still need a more traditional centre forward, a position they have arguably failed to nail down since the departure of Diego Costa in 2017.

Sanchez began: “Jackson is a centre forward with a lot of speed, so he could also play as a winger if needed, because he usually starts a lot of his play from the wings, moving to the centre.”

Asked about Jackson’s standout physical attributes, Sanchez added: “Speed, of course. He attacks spaces really well and also makes very good use of the ball despite his height.

“He could receive a lot of balls and change the game by bringing in those around him, increasing the speed of the play.”

Nevertheless, Jackson is just 21, and as such has areas he needs to work on, such as, according to Sanchez, “to improve when the game is very close, and he’s not a good header of the ball yet, but he has time to improve on these areas.”

Many had expected Jackson would leave in January, as under previous Villarreal boss Unai Emery “he wasn’t 100% starter, but he was playing a lot.

“Later with Quique Setien he wasn’t a starter, but he was improving during the whole season and he finished as a starter after a couple of injuries.

“He is ready to take the next step.”

Chelsea finished 12th in the Premier League last season.