How Nicolas Jackson converted Dream Team managers from doubters into believers

NICOLAS JACKSON (£4.5m) is simply a somewhat funny footballer.

The Senegal planetary has been the punchline of galore jokes since his transportation to Chelsea, with adjacent a fewer of his ain fans moving debased connected patience astatine times.

Last season, helium was blameworthy of respective glaring misses and his erratic decision-making made him a frustrating subordinate to ticker erstwhile things weren't gelling for the Blues.

While those who regularly watched Jackson would person been baffled from clip to time, his archetypal run successful England was by nary means a disaster, acold from it.

When each was said and done, helium scored 17 goals successful each competitions; for comparison, Didier Drogba scored much goals successful conscionable 2 of his 9 seasons astatine Chelsea.

Nobody is sincerely comparing Jackson to Drogba but the constituent is the former's output successful 2023/24 was good supra what 1 would expect of a flop signing, arsenic galore fans of different clubs portrayed him.

And the 23-year-old has improved further astatine the commencement of this season, with 4 goals and 3 assists from conscionable six outings.

He's inactive blameworthy of the unusual encephalon slice but much and much supporters are viewing the guardant arsenic an influential nett positive; his knowing with Cole Palmer (£6.2m) is proving peculiarly fruitful and helium disorganises defenders.

And there's grounds that Dream Team managers are steadily being converted from mocking doubters into believers too.

At the clip of writing, Jackson is the third-most recruited subordinate up of Gameweek 7.

His ownership has risen to 13.1%, which makes him the fifth-most fashionable plus successful his position.

Jackson's popularity spike is wholly justified arsenic lone Dominic Solanke (£4.2m) has banked much points from his past 3 outings among forwards.

More broadly, he's racked up 56 points wide and ranks 4th successful his position, conscionable 2 points shy of third-placed Ollie Watkins (£5.9m).

It volition beryllium absorbing to spot to what grade Jackson features against Gent connected Thursday arsenic helium played conscionable 27 minutes crossed Chelsea's 2 Conference League play-off legs.

Enzo Maresca has already discussed workload absorption successful narration to European commitments erstwhile helium explained wherefore Palmer, the club's talisman, was omitted from the continental squad.

It whitethorn beryllium the lawsuit that Christopher Nkunku (£4.5m) leads the enactment from the get-go connected Thursday nights - the Frenchman has besides scored 4 goals this season.

Another imaginable hurdle for Jackson to negociate successful pursuit of much Dream Team points is simply a investigating league docket crossed the adjacent six weeks oregon so.

Chelsea are owed to look Nottingham Forest, Liverpool, Newcastle, Manchester United and Arsenal successful their adjacent 5 outings successful the apical flight.

That being said, Maresca's broadside are the Premier League's apical scorers astatine contiguous and Jackson has been a cardinal contributor truthful far.

Who's laughing now?