EPL: Chelsea confirms signing Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal for €35m
Chelsea on Friday, June 30, announced they’ve signed Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal on an eight-year contract.
The Blues signed the Senegal striker in a deal reportedly worth slightly more than his £30.1m release clause.
Jackson is now Mauricio Pochettino’s second summer signing since he took charge in May following the £52m arrival of Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig.
Announcing their new signing, Chelsea’s co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said;
“We are excited to welcome Nicolas to Chelsea. He is a young player with big potential, as he showcased for Villarreal last season.
“We believe he is ready for this next step in his career and look forward to him working with our new head coach, Mauricio Pochettino, and his Chelsea teammates.”
Jackson moved to Villarreral from Senegal in 2019 and, like Nkunku, can play as a central striker or on the wings. He played for Villarreal B before representing the first team from 2021 and has since scored 13 goals in 47 games, registering six assists.
He almost signed for Bournemouth in January for about £25 million, but that deal collapsed after he suffered a hamstring injury which ruled him out for most of the last campaign.
Jackson’s late season form, in what was a breakthrough campaign, earned him La Liga Player of the Month in May, helping Villarreal finish fifth and qualify for the Europa League. He also featured for Senegal at the Qatar World Cup, making his international debut in a group-stage game against the Netherlands.
The Senegalese star is expected to compete for a role in Pochettino’s frontline next season along with Nkunku, Armando Broja, and David Datro Fofana.
With Nicolas Jackson confirmed, Chelsea now needs to clear more deadwood in their attack. Romelu Lukaku, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Christian Pulisic are still on the club’s books, and they will all need to be sold in the coming weeks.
