Enzo Maresca should be extremely disappointed with one Chelsea player who ranks even worse than Kai Havertz in a key Premier League statistic this season.
Kai Havertz, 25, is one of the many former Chelsea stars currently playing for a rival Premier League club.
Even though the German attacker etched his name into Blues history by scoring the winning goal in a Champions League final in 2021, he struggled to ever become a fan favourite at Stamford Bridge.
In 2023, the left-footed forward made the transfer switch to Arsenal. It does look like he’s found a lot more consistency in his game as part of Mikel Arteta’s side.
Club Appearances Goals Assists Trophies
Bayer Leverkusen 150 46 31 0
Chelsea 139 32 16 3
Arsenal 85 29 13 1
Kai Havertz’s record in senior football via Transfermarkt
Jody Morris’ verdict on Kai Havertz is that he’s still the same player at Arsenal compared to the version he saw at Chelsea. In fairness, a statistic from the 2024/25 Premier League campaign suggests he may be right.
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Nicolas Jackson even worse than Kai Havertz in attacking statistic
WhoScored has shared some eye-catching data regarding big chance conversion rates among strikers in the Premier League this season.
Interestingly, Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson, 23, has the worst record in the entire division. He’s even worse than Arsenal frontman Havertz.
Big chance conversion rates among strikers in the Premier League this season (20+ presented):
𝗪𝗼𝗿𝘀𝘁
◎ 26.9% – Nicolas Jackson
◎ 33.3% – Ollie Watkins
◎ 34.8% – Kai Havertz
𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁
◉ 52.0% – Chris Wood
◉ 51.6% – Yoane Wissa
◉ 50.0% – Alexander Isak pic.twitter.com/fyYeVK1KNB
— WhoScored (@WhoScored) May 14, 2025
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For Blues supporters that watch Jackson on a weekly basis, they may not be surprised by the statistic above. The reality is that the Senegalese centre-forward can look very tense in front of goal when he’s got a bit of time to finish.
Jackson should be a little underwhelmed with 10 goals in 30 league appearances this season. In contrast, Havertz has netted nine goals in 21 league matches this campaign.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
It’s probably been the most challenging week of Jackson’s Chelsea career so far because of the scrutiny he’s received for his red card in the defeat against Newcastle United last Sunday. As a result, he’s absent for the final two league games and the team will miss his presence as they fight for Champions League qualification.
It’s been reported that Chelsea’s ‘top brass’ are fine with Nicolas Jackson in the aftermath of his reckless sending off for an elbow on Sven Botman. The case is closed as far as they’re concerned because they believe the young striker will learn from the incident.
Photo by Chris Lee - Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Photo by Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Enzo Maresca needs words with Nicolas Jackson
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca may be able to quickly move on from Jackson’s red card and forgive him. However, we feel like the Blues manager needs to have words with the attacker about his form in front of goal.
If Jackson wants to be Chelsea’s long-term starting striker, he can’t be the worst in the Premier League when it comes to failing to take big chances.
Theo Walcott’s assessment of Nicolas Jackson is he needs to improve his finishing inside the penalty box.
The widespread transfer speculation suggests the Blues will recruit a new No 9 in the summer. This should come with a warning from Maresca to Jackson that he’s got to pull his socks up and become more potent in front of goal.