6 strikers Chelsea shortlist to replace Nicolas Jackson after Chelsea FA Cup defeat to Man city
At the conclusion of the 2023–2024 season, Chelsea may enter the transfer market since Nicolas Jackson has often attempted to trick the opposition in front of goal.
Jackson keeps wasting chances week in week out for Chelsea.
Although the forward contributed significantly to the excellent build-up from the west London team at Wembley Stadium, players in his position are ultimately assessed on their ability to score goals.
Had the 22-year-old done so more regularly in his debut season at Stamford Bridge, the club may have found themselves a lot higher in the Premier League table. But alas, the young forward has been erratic at times, and we’ve put together a shortlist of six names Pochettino could target to bolster his attacking options further.
Victor Osimhen: Perhaps the most sought-after striker in world football ahead of the 2024 summer transfer window, Victor Osimhen, is certain to have grabbed the attention of those in charge at Stamford Bridge. He hasn’t endured the best 2023/24 campaign, but the Nigerian was pivotal to Napoli lifting their first Serie A title in over 30 years in the prior season.
Osimhen netted 26 league goals in only 32 appearances in that season, firing his side to glory and his name into the headlines. It’s expected that he will be on the move at the end of the current term, with many suitors across Europe. In March, ESPN reported that the Blues were the front-runners to secure the signature of the Napoli marksman.
Viktor Gyokeres: Sporting CP are within touching distance of winning the Portuguese league title under Ruben Amorim, thanks largely to the goal contributions of Viktor Gyokeres. The Swede is in his debut season with the club after signing from Championship side Coventry City in 2023, and he hit the ground running with 23 goals and 10 assists to his name in the league at the time of writing.
At 25 years old, the talismanic figure is being discussed in the same breath as some of Europe’s elite clubs, including Arsenal and Chelsea. Pochettino could do with a player of the Sweden international’s calibre. Someone who can get involved in the build-up play, run the channels, and most importantly, put the ball in the back of the net consistently.
Ivan Toney has a considerable advantage over almost all the other names on this list. The Brentford ace has proven he can consistently score in the Premier League, which means less of an adaptation period is likely to be required. Toney is up to the physical standard of the English game, with his incredible hold-up play being one of his biggest selling points.
His future beyond the current season is quickly becoming one of the worst-kept secrets in world football as everyone expects the Bees’ centre-forward to be playing this football elsewhere when the first whistle of the 2024/25 season blows. In total, Toney has 36 top-flight goals in 79 appearances at the time of writing, and he looks ready to make the step-up, with Chelsea, Tottenham and West Ham all said to be interested, according to The Sun.
Benjamin Sesko: If the club are looking for a player they can hang their hats on for the next decade at least, Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig could be their man. The forward only joined the Bundesliga side in 2023 after impressing for RB Salzburg in Austrian football.
His goalscoring record isn’t quite on par with some of the more experienced players on this list, but the Slovenian is still only 20 years old and has plenty of room for improvement. Sesko possesses a hammer of a strike, and he has even drawn comparisons to Erling Haaland, and that’s some compliment. Chelsea will need to move quickly if they want to secure a deal as Arsenal and Manchester United are also said to be sniffing around the forward.
Lautaro Martinez: Lautaro Martinez has all but wrapped up the Golden Boot award in Italy’s top-flight with 23 strikes in 28 games to date. The Argentine has been making his way to being one of the best strikers in the world in recent years, and he finally looks to be the main man at San Siro after Romelu Lukaku’s departure in the summer.
The 26-year-old was touted as one of the hottest properties in the striker market ahead of the 2022 World Cup, but his wayward finishing may have put potential suitors off briefly. Those teams are likely to have returned to the table after seeing the attacker fire his side many points clear at the top of the table. The Blues were reportedly looking in Martinez’s direction during the winter transfer window and could revisit a potential deal in the summer.
He may have played a reduced role in Brighton’s 2023/24 season, but Evan Ferguson is still one of the best young players around and the Irishman is expected to eventually explode onto the scene. Fans were given a glimpse of his brilliance early in the campaign when he scored a wonderful hat-trick against Newcastle United.
Roberto De Zerbi has been sure to manage his minutes as Ferguson is still a teenager, meaning he hasn’t been on the pitch as often as he would have liked. This hasn’t stopped links with several Premier League giants, however, and Chelsea could be right at the front of that queue when the transfer window rolls around. There was even talk of the west London outfit potentially breaking the British transfer record (again) for the youngster in January.