The curious case of hat-trick hero Nicolas Jackson… who still has his doubters despite netting three times against Tottenham
- Jackson scored three of Chelsea’s four goals in their win over rivals Tottenham
- He didn’t look convincing, however, and still has plenty to prove at the Blues
- What is the WORST Premier League hat-trick? – Find out on It’s All Coming Up
Not many strikers bang in a hat-trick in a Premier League match, away from home, against their club’s most bitter rivals, yet still have doubts surrounding them at the final whistle.
He may have walked away with the match ball but Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson also walked off with his detractors still unconvinced following his treble at Tottenham on Monday night. In Mail Sport’s latest It’s All Kicking Off podcast episode, it was described by Ian Ladyman as the worst hat-trick he has seen!
Not that criticism will eat away at Jackson. Sources at Chelsea say the 22-year-old exudes confidence. The striker is relaxed, likeable, humble and approachable according to those inside Cobham.
It is the self-assurance which Jackson possesses that has struck many. It creates the impression he has been at Chelsea far longer than he has. But he has rarely shown such assurance in front of goal — as showcased by him ballooning the ball over the bar when he should have scored against Spurs, or nearly making a pig ear’s of the third goal, stumbling, as if unsure what to do, before rounding goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who looked as baffled as Jackson.
His confidence contrasts with the shy and quieter personality of Mykhailo Mudryk, for example, whose demeanour is what you would expect from a new arrival. But it is the kind of self-belief that meant Senegal striker Jackson had no qualms about shushing a Chelsea supporter who demanded more from him against Brentford, even though he was far from at his best that day.
Nicolas Jackson scored a hat-trick for Chelsea on Monday night against Tottenham but still has plenty to prove
His performance was unconvincing, but he is a confident player who has a relaxed and humble approach to football
The forward shared an image of his match ball and Player of the Match award from Monday
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The hope at Chelsea is his match-winning hat-trick at Tottenham —his first at senior level — will be a springboard for more.
The goals were very much needed for the £32million summer signing from Spanish side Villarreal and have given Chelsea’s hierarchy something to think about with the January transfer window in sight.
Do the Blues strengthen in attack? Chelsea have quantity in forward areas — Christopher Nkunku, Raheem Sterling, Armando Broja, Cole Palmer and Jackson — but do they have the required goal-scoring quality? They will be ready to move for upgrades if their final conclusion come January is no.
During pre-season, a promising-looking partnership was forming with fellow new signing Nkunku, one of the players Jackson quickly grew close to as he integrated into the Chelsea squad.
The more established Nkunku was someone manager Mauricio Pochettino was counting on to make a big impact. But the Frenchman suffered a serious knee injury — he has yet to make his competitive debut but could return after the international break — while Broja has yet to be consistently available due to his own fitness issues. That has left Jackson to carry the goal-scoring burden. He is now Chelsea’s top scorer with six goals.
It was not all that long ago that Jackson was playing street football with friends back in his homeland, where he earned the nickname ‘The Senegalese Neymar’, in part because people did not know his real name.
Christopher Nkunku promised to be an important player for Chelsea but picked up a serious knee injury in pre-season
He formed what looked like it was going to be a successful partnership with Jackson but has missed the whole season so far
He left school and his economics studies to focus on football. Jackson never experienced life in an academy set-up before joining Villarreal from Senegalese club Casa Sports aged 18 in September 2019, after Benfica refused to pay the asking price of around £700,000.
A steady, though not exactly prolific, rise followed over the next couple of years as Jackson became Villarreal first choice under Unai Emery and culminated in last season’s explosion of goals.
His parents David and Lynette were ‘a little angry’ he quit school for football. David did not want him to because he knew how difficult it is to become a professional.
It did not take long for Jackson to defy the doubters, though, and now he is at Chelsea with a Premier League hat-trick to his name. No wonder he backs himself.
IT’S ALL KICKING OFF!
It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football, launching with a preview show today and every week this season.
It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube , Apple Music and Spotify
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