Edouard Mendy is a player who knows Nicolas Jackson really well, having shared a dressing room with the Senegal striker at international level for some time now.
Their time at Chelsea didn’t intersect, but the former Blue is clearly a huge fan of the man now spearheading our charge up the table.
Speaking in a long interview about his career so far, 32 year old Mendy got onto the topic of Jackson and his potential, after the striker’s impressive first half of the season:
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Nicolas Jackson chases a loose ball. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Jackson celebrate goal against Brentford. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Thierry Henry doing punditry for Sky Sports.
“I think for him now the next goal will be to perform in Europe when Chelsea will be back to Champions League because next year they’ll play Champions League. For him, it’s to show that he can be the player to bring the club where it should be,” Mendy said.
“He’s doing very well… I would worry more if the striker wasn’t creating anything. Him he’s creating a lot, sometimes from nothing. Yeah, he’ll work on his finishing, for sure. But to have the ability to create this situation. If you look at his age and what he’s going to do in the next years, it’s really impressive.”
Jackson polishing his strengths and improving his weaknesses
Nicolas Jackson in action against Brentford. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Nicolas Jackson in action against Brentford. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Even saying his finishing needs work seems increasingly harsh at this point. Sure, it’s not his main strength. But it’s not a weakness anymore either. In the last couple of months alone we’ve seen a number of finishes in a variety of styles, showing off his improving skills.
He’s in a team which is built to suit him, he’s got a manager who loves his style, and he’s clearly really motivated to keep improving. All the ingredients are there for him to be the best striker we’ve had at Chelsea in years.