'Senegalese Neymar' - Nicolas Jackson's coaches lift lid on Chelsea's new star

Cameron Smith

• 4 Jul 2023 16:34 BST
• 4 min read

Nicolas Jackson has been described as the “Senegalese Neymar” following his big-money move from Villarreal to Chelsea.

The 22-year-old was close to joining AFC Bournemouth for €25 million in January, but an injury saw him fail his medical and scuppered plans of moving to English shores halfway through last campaign.

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However, a late season surge saw Jackson net nine La Liga goals in the final eight league fixtures, prompting Chelsea to spend €35 million on a player with just x starts in a top five European league under his belt.

Jackson joined Villarreal as a 17-year-old in 2019, arriving at the Yellow Submarines from Casa Sport - a local team in southern Senegal - where he was first given the nickname the ‘Senegalese Neymar.’

READ: Premier League 2023/24 summer transfers: All the Done Deals

What has been said about Jackson?

“I remember perfectly the first time I saw him with the juvenil (U19s) you could immediately see that he was a level above,” Miguel Álvarez, Villarreal B team coach, told The Guardian. “He was superior to the rest, like a man playing against boys.”

Jackson went on loan to Segunda Division side Mirandes during the 2020/21 season, a stint that massively helped his development. Carlos Julio Martinez, one of Jackson’s team-mates at Mirandes, admitted to The Guardian: “He’s a good lad. But he was absolutely clear: he was going to play in La Liga and make a lot of money to help his family.

“He’s very special, different. When he takes off he’s very hard to stop and you can’t knock him off the ball. He had that daring. He didn’t care who was in front of him, he would always take them on. He didn’t have the instinct for scoring goals he has now but he created a lot of chances.”

However, it wasn’t until a change of position that Jackson made an impact at Villarreal. “Development is never just football, it’s all sorts of things,” Alvarez revealed. “Injuries had decimated that season at Mirandés and the emotional side is vital too. But I think the turning point was when we changed his position. He had almost always played on the wing.

“Physically he is a machine but that position requires stamina, constant up and down. Above all, though, it takes him away from the areas where he can do real damage: the last 30 metres. We played him as a second striker and he was superb. We went up and in a few months he was in the first team.”

Even Quique Setien, the current Villarreal manager was taken aback by the talent Jackson possesses. “You see Jackson’s qualities immediately,” Setién says. “Technically he is good: he can combine, he is strong, he moves into space well, holds the ball. He is a lad with enormous potential, who could be the business.”

“That said, even I was surprised by just how high his level was. Over the last month or so [of the season] every chance he got went in.”

It’s unclear whether Chelsea will pursue another number nine this summer, but the Blues’ pursuit of Moises Caicedo appears all-encompassing, which could mean the Jackson is afforded the necessary time to impress new boss Mauricio Pochettino in pre-season and cement his place in the starting XI at Stamford Bridge.