Paul Merson thinks there is a lot of pressure on Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson and says it is not fair.
Nicolas Jackson is currently Chelsea’s first-choice No.9 after joining the Blues from Villarreal over the summer and has struggled so far this season.
For Merson, too much is being expected of the 22-year-old right now, which he does not think is right. In his recent column for Sky Sports, the former Arsenal player wrote: “There’s a lot of pressure for a young lad who was playing in Spain and now is spearheading a team who is expected to win football matches because of the money they spent.
“I don’t think it’s fair on him, so I’d definitely give him more time. Though [Mauricio] Pochettino would take him out of the firing line if he could.”
Jackson has played in all five of Chelsea’s Premier League games this term but has scored just one goal.
His sole strike for the club came against Luton Town last month and helped Pochettino’s side to claim their only top-flight win so far.
Too much pressure on Nicolas Jackson
A lot is being expected of Jackson right now, which does seem quite unfair.
He is still just 22 years of age and is adapting to a new league and country. Leading the line for one of the biggest clubs in the world, though, that was always going to be the case.
Chelsea certainly need to take most of the blame here. What they probably needed to do in the summer transfer window was bring in a more experienced centre-forward alongside Jackson and then let the Senegal international act as cover.
Maybe the club felt there were not too many options available and want to wait until next year when the likes of Ivan Toney and Victor Osimhen could possibly be on the market.
Whatever the case, bringing in Jackson to be their No.1 striker was always going to be a risk.
It is still early days, so perhaps this is a gamble that could yet pay off. But if it does not, Chelsea only have themselves to blame.
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