Jamie Carragher is an excellent pundit. His depth of analysis and sharp tactical mind, partnered with an eccentric and larger-than-life personality, make him a cornerstone of punditry in English football. He gets so much right.
He doesn’t get everything right. Chelsea. Ah, Chelsea. Now there’s a pre-season opinion that looks like it’s falling flatter than a lemonade left out in the sun.
The former Liverpool star has been a big critic of Chelsea’s spending over the past few years, speaking with vociferous tones in August about the lavish scattergun strategy and how Chelsea were destined for yet another season of turmoil.
Only, that’s not happening. “Chelsea have got to stop buying players,” Carragher said on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, questioning whether big-money buys would even have enough room for a seat in the cramped Stamford Bridge dressing room.
Chelsea finished the summer transfer window with an influx of talent, sure, but they also shipped on a host of first-teamers to shed the net spend down to £34m. £34m. Enzo Maresca has a large squad but now he’s willing and shaping it into something promising.
There is something to say about Maresca’s approach though, in that the bulk of the Blues’ summer additions have yet to nail down starting spots in the Premier League. It’s hard to unseat some of the regulars though, and on that note, let’s discuss the effervescent Cole Palmer.
Let's talk about Cole Palmer
Goal. Goal. Goal. Goal. Four goals, all sumptuous, all trademark. Chelsea might as well build the statue now, for Palmer is quite clearly one of the most talented players to wear the Chelsea shirt.
Overlooked by Pep Guardiola and Gareth Southgate, Todd Boehly and Co saw something worth paying up £40m plus add-ons for in August 2023, signing the English talent from Manchester City who, at that moment, had three career league starts to his name.
Palmer performs with a kind of subliminal ability, impervious to pressure and the weight of holding a stop-start club on his shoulders and just… playing. Playing with grace and guile and gumption. Playing with an artistry that puts future honours like the Ballon d’Or and everything else in grabbable territory.
Chelsea patently have one of the most fearsome attacks in Europe, though it’s raw and untempered and will develop and harden as the months and next few years go by. It’s a project though, that’s the truth, and that’s what Chelsea wanted, what saw the end of Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure despite signs of growth and resurgence.
Palmer is a talent who transcends statistics, but metrics and empirical analysis seem to draw the same conclusion: the 22-year-old is already “one of the best in the world”, something that Chelsea captain Reece James happens to agree with.
As per FBref, just to hammer the point home, the England international ranks among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals scored and assists claimed, the top 13% for shot-creating actions and the top 8% for progressive passes per 90.
Let’s bring this lengthy stream of consciousness to a close: the point’s been made. Palmer is an extraordinary talent, but would you believe it, Chelsea might just have a player who could rise to a loftier standing in Nicolas Jackson.
Why Nicolas Jackson could surpass Cole Palmer
Chelsea welcomed Jackson to the fold in July 2023 after paying Villarreal a fee in excess of his £30m release clause.
The 21-year-old (at the time) had risen to prominence in La Liga after a brilliant end to the 2022/23 campaign, posting ten goals and two assists across the final 11 matches, leading talent scout Jacek Kulig to hail his “incredible” efforts.
The Premier League proved to be a whole different ballpark though, for Jackson scored 14 goals from 34 games but also missed 24 big chances, as per Sofascore.
That said, there was a lot of promise on display and the Senegalese striker is starting to prove that he can become one of the division’s finest, having started the current campaign with aplomb, scoring four goals and supplying three assists from six top-flight outings.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink seems to think that Jackson could even bloom into a “£150m player”, such is his potential, such is his capacity. The former Chelsea striker knows a thing or two about goalscoring, having notched 87 goals from 177 fixtures for the west Londoners.
If Jackson were to become a player of such market value, it could even see him outstrip his peer, Palmer, and become Chelsea’s main man, both on the field and from a financial standpoint.
According to CIES Football Observatory’s player valuing function, Palmer currently holds a market price of about £107m, which is a significant rise from the sum handed to Manchester City a little over 13 months ago.
Jackson, however, is not held in the same regard, although he’s starting to show that he has the kind of prolific nature that could make him one of the finest strikers in the Premier League.
Market Movers
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He’s averaged three shots per Premier League game this season and has converted four of his eight big chances presented, which is already a significant improvement from last year’s haul.
Of course, Palmer’s market value is only going to shoot upward too as he continues to exceed expectations, but there’s an elite-class player in Jackson, and if he continues to sharpen his shooting to the degree that he has done across the past few months, then Chelsea might not need to splurge on a new focal frontman after all.
For now, let’s kick back and enjoy the ride – it’s going to be entertaining under Maresca’s wing, whatever happens. With Palmer and Jackson continuing to fuse an almighty partnership in the making, Chelsea might just return to the front of Europe.
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