Chelsea are coming off the back of one of their worst performances of the season, holding 57% possession in the match against Brighton, taking just seven shots, and creating zero big chances in the game, going on to lose 2-1, being knocked out of the FA Cup.
Enzo Maresca was without his only natural senior centre-forward against the Seagulls, with Nicolas Jackson missing through injury, which saw Christopher Nkunku start the game up front.
Despite his immense form in cup competitions this term, it heavily impacted the team’s overall play both on and off the ball in a negative fashion.
Nkunku didn’t manage a single on Saturday, only took one touch in the opposition penalty area and lacked pressing intensity from the front, making it much easier for Brighton to manipulate Chelsea’s press throughout the game.
This shows the value in having a top level centre-forward, much like Newcastle currently do in Alexander Isak.
Alexander Isak’s incredible season in numbers
So far this season, Isak has been in virtually unstoppable form. In the process of making 28 appearances in all competitions, the Swede has scored 19 goals and provided five assists.
The 25-year-old is effective in all phases of play, pressing well from the front with intensity, dropping to help link play, but also being a good target for direct balls forward with his 6 foot 4 frame.
Newcastle’s talisman has been subject to a lot of interest from other Premier League clubs, with the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea reportedly very interested in the Sweden international, having enquired about his services in the past.
But, according to player valuations from Football Observatory, Isak is valued at around €95.8m (£79.8m) by CIES Football Observatory and would cost a pretty penny, potentially even more than that sum, to bring him to Stamford Bridge in the summer.
Remarkably, that fee is actually lower than one of Chelsea’s current options, who was signed for just £32m back in 2023
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The Chelsea star who’s worth more than Isak
It’s safe to say that Todd Boehly’s recruitment in recent years has been rather hit or miss. For every Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, there’s been a Raheem Sterling and Mykhailo Mudryk.
Alas, in a certain Nicolas Jackson, they have struck gold.
Jackson has made 68 appearances since joining the Blues, netting 26 goals, providing 11 assists and totalling 5,312 minutes already. Despite being inconsistent, the 23-year-old has already shown his overall quality in all phases, pressing well from the front – which has been praised by Maresca himself – and contributing to the team’s build-up phase, receiving in deeper pockets to help link play and carry the team forward.
“He is helping us a lot in the way we want to play. He’s doing fantastic. Everyone at the beginning, no one expected this from Nico. Goals, assists, the way we want to press, he’s always aggressive, always there, he’s doing fantastic.” – Maresca on Jackson.
Well, such has been his remarkable rise to stardom over the last few years that according to CIES, he is currently valued even higher than Isak at a staggering £88m, making him the 22nd highest-value player on the list.
For reference, another striker who has been linked with a move to Chelsea is the highly rated Liam Delap from Ipswich. He doesn’t make this top 100 estimated transfer values list by CIES but was being touted at around £50m over the winter.
|
Jackson vs Isak & Delap in 2024/25 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Stats (per 90 min) |
Jackson |
Isak |
Delap |
|
Goals |
0.47 |
0.82 |
0.45 |
|
Assists |
0.26 |
0.21 |
0.10 |
|
xG |
0.59 |
0.70 |
0.37 |
|
xAG |
0.21 |
0.19 |
0.09 |
|
Progressive Carries |
2.12 |
2.90 |
2.09 |
|
Progressive Passes |
1.40 |
2.90 |
1.02 |
|
Shots Total |
3.26 |
3.45 |
2.01 |
|
Goals/Shot |
0.14 |
0.23 |
0.18 |
|
Key Passes |
1.30 |
1.75 |
0.97 |
|
Shot-Creating Actions |
3.21 |
3.65 |
2.40 |
|
Aerial Duels Won |
0.67 |
0.90 |
1.79 |
|
Stats taken from FBref |
|||
When comparing the three strikers’ underlying numbers, Isak does tend to come out on top in many, showing his clinical levels, and ability to contribute in the build-up with his progressive actions and create for his teammates.
However, Isak is also much closer to his prime, with Jackson and Delap still having a few extra years of development before they hit those levels.
Peter Crouch and Joe Cole both praised Jackson as an “unbelievable” player who deserves more recognition from outside the Chelsea fan base, after scoring two against West Ham earlier in the season. Whilst his form has dropped off in front of goal since then, he has still managed to provide some important assists, and Maresca clearly values his overall work in the team extremely highly, which was yet again proven with his absence against Brighton.
Another striker to compete with Jackson and add a different skill set is still much needed, but the Blues will be hoping the 23-year-old is back for their next game, as Chelsea clearly look like a much better side when he is on the pitch than when he isn’t.
Related
He lost the ball 21 times: 4/10 Chelsea dud was as bad as Nkunku v Brighton
Chelsea were poor in the FA Cup fourth round as they slumped to defeat against the Seagulls.
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2025-02-09 20:45:13
