“I want more from him” “He’s proving haters wrong” – Gary Cahill backs 23-year-old Chelsea star to shine after what he did in 3-0 win over West Ham
With Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over West Ham, Nicolas Jackson was clearly the player of the match.
Jackson’s fantastic afternoon at the London Stadium was capped off with a brace and an assist for Cole Palmer.
The Senegal international’s first season at Stamford Bridge was, nevertheless, uneventful.
Nicolas Jackson was nonetheless criticized for his uneven play in the English top division, despite his 14 goals and 5 assists. This season, those criticisms have persisted.
However, there are signs Nicolas Jackson may have improved from last season, and former Chelsea captain Gary Cahill applauded the 23-year-old following his performance against West Ham.
While analysing the London derby on NBC Sports, Gary Cahill said: “He’s a young boy, he’s still learning.
“I liked his game today for a number of reasons: his finishes and the two goals that he scored, of course, but I liked the way he was willing to run in behind, he was dropping deep at times to link up the play.
“I thought his all-round play was superb. He looks a confident boy so I don’t think that noise around him will bother him too much and it’s all about doing his talking on the pitch.
“His numbers are looking good at the moment.”
Asked whether Chelsea need to return to the transfer market for a centre-forward, Cahill however insisted that Nicolas Jackson is more than capable.
He replied: “I think there’s a long way to go and obviously that No.9 shirt is very heavy.
“But he’s doing fantastically well and with the attacking options that they have as well, you saw today the bench: they have options there in all the attacking areas.
“So no, I think he’s more than capable of taking that No.9 shirt and running with it.
“Staying fit and healthy is key but going back to his numbers, he’s done superbly.”