Nicolas Jackson: Chelsea’s New Striker’s Meteoric Rise From Gambia to Stamford Bridge

• Chelsea announced the signing of young striker Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal
• The Senegalese forward signed an eight-year contract at Stamford Bridge, which will keep him at the club until 2031
• His ascension to the Premier League did not come easy as he honed his football in Gambia

Chelsea’s new striker, Nicolas Jackson, had quite a rough road to fame before hitting the limelight in Spain and eventually making it to the Premier League with the Blues.

Jackson was announced as a new Chelsea player yesterday after weeks of speculation regarding the transfer. The English club triggered his Villarreal exit clause, which was in the region of £30m.

The 22-year-old enjoyed a breakout season with the Yellow Submarines. He hit 12 goals and provided four assists despite missing most of the first half of the season through injury.

The club’s official statement confirmed that he signed an eight-year contract that will keep him in England until 2031. The lengthy contract has become a trademark since Todd Boehly and co. took over the club.

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Jackson’s rise to the top

Jackson was born in Gambia but represents Senegal internationally. He has won three caps for the 2021 African Cup of Nations champions, debuting at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar against the Netherlands.

He began his youth football with Tilene, a local club in Senegal, but he did not show his potential until he joined the top-flight club Casa Sport, from where he moved to Europe.

Sports News Africa noted that Jackson, nicknamed Neymar at Tilene, encountered challenges from those who felt he was not good enough. However, he had the faith of Badara Sarr, who drafted him into the senior team at Casa.

His skills - quick feet and dribbling ability - won over the fans to his side, and Sarr, who had kept faith in him, is not surprised to see him reach the current heights he has now.

"When I took Nicolas Jackson into the squad, not all the managers agreed. They said he was a navétanes player, that he kept the ball too much and that his play was undisciplined," Sarr said.

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"He was a raw talent who needed to be polished so that he could progress athletically. He was weak in that area. Then, tactically, we had to give him the rudiments. He's someone who loved to carry the ball, who wasn't under any pressure. He had intrinsic qualities."

He has big boots to fill at Stamford Bridge as the club haven’t had a prolific striker since the days of Didier Drogba and Diego Costa, who also came to the Premier League from Spain.

Drogba scored 164 goals and provided 88 assists in 381 games at Chelsea, winning four Premier League titles and two Golden Boots, while Costa scored 59 goals and 23 assists in 120 games and won two championships.

Jackson must overcome his early woes to match up to the two greats. He has just a goal in his first six league games. In his unveiling video, he identified the task ahead and said, “I feel I’m gonna do amazing things here.”

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Jackson rejects Drogba comparisons

Sports Brief also reported that Jackson rejected comparisons to Didier Drogba, admitting that he is yet to write his Chelsea story and that the Ivorian striker is a legend.

The 22-year-old is still settling into life at Stamford Bridge, but fans have likened some elements of his game to that of the two-time African footballer of the year, but he feels it is too early.