Mauricio Pochettino given honest £32m Chelsea transfer verdict as hidden gem unearthed
Michael Owen has heaped praise on new Chelsea star Nicolas Jackson following his performance against Newcastle United in the Premier League Summer Series. The 22-year-old striker, who joined the Blues from Villarreal in a deal worth around £32million this summer, opened the scoring against the Magpies with a well-placed strike.
After a quarter of an hour, Jackson latched onto an excellent through pass from Ian Maatsen before slotting the ball beyond Martin Dubravka. The Senegal international has now scored two goals and recorded three assists in just three games for the Blues in pre-season.
Chelsea have struggled to replace the Didier Drogba and Diego Costa in recent years, with only Olivier Giroud coming close to fulfilling the all-encompassing target man role at Stamford Bridge. The west Londoners have experimented with the likes of Alvaro Morata, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz over the years, but neither have enjoyed nearly as much success.
While it's still early days, Jackson could be on the right path to finally ending the No.9 curse at Chelsea. Speaking on the Premier League’s coverage of the tie, Michael Owen was left impressed by the Senegalese star and congratulated the Blues' recruitment staff for identifying him.
«Nicolas Jackson especially looks like a real find for Chelsea,» said the former Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle striker. In an interview with the Blues' official website upon his arrival in west London, Jackson revealed that Drogba and Demba Ba are inspirations of his.
«I watched English football when I was in Africa and now I am here, so it's a good feeling for me,» said the Chelsea ace. «I grew up watching the Premier League because for me it is the best league in the world, so I love the
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