Chelsea line up bid to sign perfect Jackson upgrade in £86m "powerhouse"

Chelsea line up bid to sign perfect Jackson upgrade in £86m “powerhouse”

Chelsea Football Club have had a roller coaster of a Premier League season so far this year, with some massive wins against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, but some equally disappointing results against teams like Burnley and Sheffield United.

It’s been a poor first campaign for Mauricio Pochettino and his young squad, with only a few players like Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto delivering when it matters.

In contrast, while not terrible, summer signing Nicolas Jackson has been undeniably underwhelming this year, and based on recent reports, it looks like he could lose his spot in the team once the summer window opens.

Chelsea’s search for a striker

According to a recent report from Portuguese journalist Pedro Sepulveda, Chelsea have maintained their interest in Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyökeres and are now “preparing an offer” to submit to the Leões.

However, Sepulveda has also revealed that, alongside the Blues, cross-city rivals Arsenal are doing the same thing, which means it’s likely that one of the two clubs will have to pay his €100m release clause if they want to acquire him, which converts to a cool £86m.

It would represent another massive investment from Todd Boehly and Co into this underperforming Pensioner’s side, but given the Swede’s immense output in Lisbon, it might well be worth it.

How Viktor Gyökeres compares to Nicolas Jackson

So, if the Blues were to spend £86m on the Sporting star in the summer, would they be getting an upgrade on Jackson in return? In short, absolutely.

From a pure output perspective, there really isn’t much of a comparison. In his 35 appearances for Chelsea this season, the Senegal striker has scored 12 goals and provided four assists, meaning he has been averaging a goal involvement every 2.1 games.

Gyökeres vs Jackson in 23/24

Player

Gyökeres

Jackson

Appearances

42

35

Goals

36

12

Assists

15

4

Goal Involvements per Match

1.2

0.45

All Stats via Transfermarkt

In comparison, the 6 foot 2 “powerhouse,” as data analyst Ben Mattinson dubbed him, has scored 36 goals and provided 15 assists in 42 games. This means he is currently averaging a goal involvement every 0.82 games, or 1.2 goal involvements per game, which is a frankly ludicrous level of output.

This one-sided comparison also continues under the hood, with the former Coventry City ace having far superior underlying numbers to his potential new teammate.

Gyökeres vs Jackson

Stats per 90

Gyökeres

Jackson

Expected Goals + Assists

0.89

0.73

Goals

0.82

0.40

Assists

0.37

0.13

Progressive Carries

3.99

1.77

Progressive Passes

1.74

2.20

Passing Accuracy

72.7%

77.4%

Shots on Target

1.50

1.09

Goals per Shot on Target

0.43

0.36

Shot-Creating Actions

4.30

2.85

Goal-Creating Actions

0.73

0.35

Successful Take-Ons

2.04

1.42

Ball Recoveries

2.99

2.80

Aerial Duels Won

1.86

1.21

All Stats via FBref for the 2023/24 Season

For example, according to FBref, the “unplayable” striker, as former teammate Maxime Biamou described him, produces a higher expected goal and assists figure, more progressive carries, more shots on target, more shot-creating and goal-creating actions, and more successful take-ons, all per 90.

In defence of the former Villarreal prospect, he does produce more progressive passes and maintains a slightly higher passing accuracy, but those are the only areas in which he can claim any victory.

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The exceptional attacker has just lifted silverware and has been described as being “on another level.”

Ultimately, it would represent a significant investment from the club, but if they can get their hands on Gyökeres in the summer, they absolutely should, even at the expense of Jackson’s place in the team.