‘The next Neymar’ Nicolas Jackson failed Bournemouth medical but can fix Chelsea’s goalscoring problems after rapid rise

Nicolas Jackson is set to become Mauricio Pochettino’s first signing as Chelsea manager.

Jackson underwent a medical before moving to Stamford Bridge after the Blues paid just over his £30million release clause.

3

The striker will head to the Premier League this summer with his big change coming just four years after playing local football in Senegal.

His quick feet and blistering speed led to him being dubbed the ‘next Neymar’ in his home country, while he was also compared to national team-mate Sadio Mane.

And it saw Villarreal make a move for the 22-year-old, bringing him to Europe in 2019 to play for their youth team.

He was then sent out on loan where he scored just one goal in 16 games which raised doubts over his move to Spain.

But after returning to La Liga in 2021, Jackson worked his way into the first team and his then-manager Unai Emery made his Senegal international debut.

Now Aston Villa boss Emery was a big fan of the striker, saying: “He is a player who is growing.

3

“There are times when some players have to go elsewhere to grow, but we bet on him because his contribution is very high.

“He needs to gain experience in front of goal and it’s a learning process. We need to establish young players and we want to bet on them.

Jackson received that experience from Emery in the first half of last season, but he only managed to score two goals in 14 appearances.

However, that didn’t put off Bournemouth who still believed in the hype and agreed a £22.5m deal with Villarreal to sign the striker in January.

The transfer was almost complete until he failed his South Coast medical and the Cherries pulled out of the move as a precaution.

But Jackson didn’t dwell on the missed opportunity and after recovering from injury he stepped up and showed why he’s been called the ‘next Neymar’.

3

He featured for Villarreal in April, scoring nine times in the last eight games and finishing the season with 13 goals while helping his side finish the La Liga season strong.

And now the Premier League are beckoning again, this time with Chelsea taking a gamble they can continue that electric scoring form.

The Blues are desperate for goals after just 38 goals in the entire top-flight campaign last term, with no player able to score in double figures.

Kai Havertz was the closest player to doing so, but he’s close to signing for Arsenal, leaving Pochettino with even more goalscoring worries.

However, his first signing as Blues boss will hopefully be the solution to these issues, with Jackson aiming to continue his rapid rise to the top.