Gary Cahill singled out Nicolas Jackson for praise after Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over West Ham, hinting that the club might not need to pursue a new striker in the transfer market.
Jackson found the back of the net twice in the first 18 minutes, then set up Cole Palmer’s goal early in the second half, helping secure Chelsea’s third consecutive Premier League win away from home.
The Senegalese forward was named man of the match for his outstanding performance and will likely aim to build on this momentum in their upcoming game against Brighton.
While Jackson had a mixed first season at Chelsea, showing inconsistency despite recording 14 goals and five assists, there are signs he’s turning things around. Former Chelsea captain Cahill, speaking on NBC Sports, commended the 23-year-old for quieting his critics with his recent display.
‘He’s a young boy, he’s still learning,’ Cahill said.
‘I liked his game today for a number of reasons: his finishes and the two goals that he scored, of course, but I liked the way he was willing to run in behind, he was dropping deep at times to link up the play.
‘I thought his all-round play was superb.
‘He looks a confident boy so I don’t think that noise around him will bother him too much and it’s all about doing his talking on the pitch.
‘His numbers are looking good at the moment.’
Chelsea were credited with an interest in somw strikers across the summer and missed out on a deal to sign Victor Osimhen before the deadline, with the Nigerian instead completing a loan move from Napoli to Galatasaray.
But Cahill believes Jackson is beginning to prove to Enzo Maresca that he can be the focal point of Chelsea’s attack.
When asked whether Chelsea need to return to the transfer market for a striker, Cahill said: ‘I think there’s a long way to go and obviously that No.9 shirt is very heavy.
‘But he’s doing fantastically well and with the attacking options that they have as well, you saw today the bench: they have options there in all the attacking areas.
‘So no, I think he’s more than capable of taking that No.9 shirt and running with it.
‘Staying fit and healthy is key but going back to his numbers, he’s done superbly.’
Cahill was pleased to see Maresca’s players ‘working for each other’ as the Blues picked up their first win at the London Stadium since 2021.
‘I was very impressed with the performance today, throughout the whole team,’ the ex-England defender added. ‘They were organised defensively, it was a professional performance.
‘I saw a team working for each other which was great and I thought Nicolas Jackson was superb today for his two goals.’
