'The way he's linked play for Chelsea': ESPN pundit says Blues player has been the revelation of the season so far
Today at 03:15 PM
Chelsea have enjoyed a decent start to the season, sitting third in the Premier League table and winning all three of their Europa Conference League games so far.
The Blues are certainly showing signs of progress under Enzo Maresca and fans will be quietly confident over their team's top-four hopes this term.
One Chelsea player in particular has shown a big improvement since last season, leading to ESPN’s Shaka Hislop deeming him his revelation of the campaign so far.
Shaka Hislop deems Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson the revelation of the season
The player in question is Nicolas Jackson, who has registered an impressive six goals and three assists in 11 Premier League outings for Chelsea.
Hislop picked Jackson as his revelation of the season, saying his displays this term have been in “total contrast” with how he struggled towards the end of last season.
“I didn’t think Nico Jackson covered himself in any kind of glory at all,” said Hislop. “Contrast that with this season, I think that was the big point for me in in choosing Nico Jackson.
“Some of his disappointments of last season, and contrast to how he started this season, not just his goals but the way he’s held play up, the way he’s linked play for Chelsea so far this season…
“I thought it was in total contrast to everything I saw last season.”
Meanwhile, Don Hutchison went for Tottenham Hotspur academy graduate Mikey Moore, Mark Ogden selected Nottingham Forest’s Chris Wood, and Steve Nicol simply went with Chelsea.
What Ally McCoist has said about Jackson
Jackson’s form just goes to show that some players may need more time than others in adjusting to life at a new club, in a new league, or perhaps even in a new country.
He moved from Villarreal to Chelsea in 2023 and he needed some time to find his feet, but now he is showing everyone just what he can do in the Premier League.
Hislop is not the only pundit to praise Jackson. Earlier this month, Ally McCoist said he had been noticing an improvement in Jackson, who seems more composed in front of goal this year.
McCoist also said he thinks the 23-year-old can keep improving vastly and feels this will be the case.
| Nicolas Jackson's 2024/25 stats | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Premier League | 10 | 6 | 3 |
| Conference League | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Carabao Cup | 0 | 0 | 0 |
"I still think there is a vast improvement in (him), but I am noticing an improvement in Nicolas Jackson, particular his quality of finishing," said McCoist.
"He seems to be a little bit more composed this year. I still think that will continue."
McCoist added: "I can see an improvement this year.
"He just looks, we all know his terrific assets, he will score goals, but if I was going to be slightly critical last year, I think sometimes he was a little bit rash in his finishing.”
