Kerry Dixon Chelsea’s third-highest goalscorer of all time has offered his support to Nicolas Jackson amid speculation that the Senegalese striker has asked to leave Stamford Bridge.
The reported transfer request comes in the wake of the arrivals of Liam Delap and Joao Pedro, two high-profile attacking signings that have pushed Jackson down the pecking order under head coach Enzo Maresca.
He was left out of the team that played Bayer Leverkusen on Friday night as talks of an exit mount.
Jackson, 24, was Chelsea’s lead striker last season with 12 goals in all competitions but has struggled for consistency and composure in front of goal. Often drawing both praise and criticism for his raw talent and erratic finishing.
Dixon, however, believes the striker has plenty to offer and has urged both the player to show the fight in him.
It’s nice to have an English striker at the club and for me Jackson and Liam [Delap] can play together.It's not an issue at all.
Referencing the struggles of the Senegalese striker and how he can get better Dixon said.
I watch Jackson a lot and there’s not a whole lot he does that is very bad. All he has to do is ensure that he gets his goals up to the level where, say, Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane get to.
Dixon, who scored 193 goals for Chelsea in the 1980s and early 90s, stressed the importance of competition in a squad aiming to challenge on multiple fronts this season.
Chelsea as a club need competition, so for me I would really like to see how they get along. But let’s see — the transfer window always comes out with a lot of surprises. I definitely think there are a lot of things Jackson does very well.
With Jackson believed to be attracting interest from Newcastle and Bayern Munich, Chelsea’s stance on his future is that anyone can have him if they pay a fee in the region of £70million.
Club sources have so far declined to comment on whether a formal transfer request has been lodged.
While Jackson’s camp reportedly views the arrivals of Delap and Joao Pedro as a threat to his development, Dixon’s comments may offer a reminder of the potential Chelsea would be losing and a call for patience at a club that has seen no shortage of striker turnover in recent years.
