“No one expected this” – Maresca praises Chelsea ace who’s surprised him with his performances | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca has praised Nicolas Jackson and said the striker is doing “fantastic” as well as helping a lot with how he wants Chelsea to play.

Jackson is in his second season with the Blues having arrived from Spanish side Villarreal for £32m in the summer of 2023, and had an impressive debut campaign.

The 23-year-old scored 17 goals in the all competitions, with 14 of those in the Premier League and he was rewarded with a two year contract extension keeping him at the club until 2033.

Maresca delighted with Jackson impact

It’s no secret Chelsea wanted to sign a striker over the summer having pursued Victor Osimhen for the majority of the window, whilst they also saw a deal for Samu Omorodion collapse at the last minute.

Jackson’s start to the season has shown missing out on a striker might not have been the worst thing and the Senegal international has contributed 6 goals and 3 assists in 11 league games, with Darren Bent claiming he’s perfect for how Chelsea want to play.

Jackson has six Premier League goals this season. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

The Senegalese has started every Premier League game this season and is keeping the more established Christopher Nkunku out of side and Maresca is delighted with how Jackson is doing.

“He is helping us a lot in the way we want to play,” he told TNT Sports.

“He’s doing fantastic. Everyone at the beginning, no one expected this from Nico. Goals, assists, the way we want to press, he’s always aggressive, always there, he’s doing fantastic.”

Jackson has shown real signs of improvement at the start of the campaign, especially with his finishing and The Athletic have reported the Blues believe he’s one of  the top three centre forwards in the Premier League.

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He will be hoping to add to his goal tally against Leicester on Saturday having not found the back of the net in the last two games against Manchester United and Arsenal.

With the fixtures coming thick and fast in the build-up to Christmas, Jackson and Nkunku will likely rotate as Maresca looks to make full use of his squad and manage the minutes during this busy run.