Ian Wright backs Nicolas Jackson after stunning Aston Villa start as Chelsea decision slammed
Ian Wright feels Aston Villa new boy Nicolas Jackson could have a lot of success after Chelsea were questioned for letting the in-form striker leave.
Jackson has seven goals so far at Villa. He’s scored braces against Fenerbahce and Manchester City and has been terrorising defences all season.
He’s been the perfect addition for Villa – a pacy striker who can get in behind the defence and put the entire back line under pressure, while his finishing has looked much improved.
Gary Neville and Wright have been very impressed with the Senegal striker.
Neville said on Stick to Football: “Is Nicolas Jackson the most improved player in the Premier League? I always thought he would be a good signing for someone because he’s a handful, I would hate to play against him. I do like him.”
Wright added: “I’m delighted for him. When you watched him at Chelsea, yes he missed chances but everything else about his game… the way he makes runs, plays on the shoulder, his touch… you knew that if he could just start nicking some goals, he would be fine.
“You’re looking at him now after scoring a few goals and you can actually see the confidence in him. He could go on a run at Villa, it’s up to him now where he goes.”
Chelsea sale decision questioned
Chelsea made the decision to sell Jackson for an initial £47.5million in the summer, and have since seen fellow striker Joao Pedro go down with an injury, which led to Morgan Rogers playing up top in their 2-0 Premier League loss to Tottenham.
Bryan King feels it was a bad call to let Jackson go in hindsight.
He said: “He’s a big miss, the boy up front for Chelsea [Pedro]. You think, why the hell have they got rid of Jackson? You can’t play [Morgan] Rogers up front.
“Rogers is a player who’s coming on to stuff. He’s not somebody who’s going to lead the line.
“So, it makes a strange decision to let a centre-forward go when apparently now we see that they’ve only got one centre-forward.
“Okay, you bring in the centre-forward you brought in, but why sell the boy Jackson? He was your replacement for Pedro.
“Was it the fact that they only play with one up [front]? I’m surprised they couldn’t play with the two of them, with Pedro and Jackson.
“Rogers isn’t a centre-forward. He’s not a player who wants to play with his back to goal. He’s a player who likes to come on to stuff.”
Chelsea do now have Emmanuel Emegha available, with the Frenchman making his debut off the bench in the League Cup loss to Liverpool.
READ MORE: Premier League signings of the season: Jacquet, Konsa, Rogers in but no Anderson
