Chelsea has officially announced that Nicolas Jackson has signed a new contract extension with the club. The striker previously joined the Blues back in the summer of 2023 from Villarreal for around $41 million. At the time of his arrival, Jackson, like many other recent Chelsea arrivals, penned a long-term deal. In fact, he was already previously under contract until 2031 before the extension.
Rumors initially began to swirl regarding Jackon’s updated deal earlier in the month. Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca was even asked about the news following the club’s most recent match against Crystal Palace. “I’m very happy,” claimed the coach. “Nicolas is doing a fantastic job with us, on and off the ball. He scored already two goals [this season] and he scored again today. He had another two chances but we are happy with him.”
Upon finally putting pen to paper, Jackson shared in his coach’s excitement. “It feels great the club has confidence in me,” said the striker. “I am working very hard. I am very happy to extend my contract and stay here for many years.”
The Senegal international has endured a bit of an up-and-down time during his first year with Chelsea. He has managed to score 19 goals and add seven assists in 48 total appearances for the Blues. These figures are not necessarily awful. Nevertheless, they are also not exactly representative of a world-class center forward.
Along with a hit-or-miss scoring record, Jackson has been known to squander great scoring opportunities. For instance, the forward missed 24 big chances in Premier League play last season alone. The stat was the third-highest of any player in the English top flight. So far in the current campaign, Jackson has missed two of these massive opportunities.
These erratic performances even led Chelsea officials to target superstar striker Victor Osimhen. The Nigeria international was heavily linked with a move to West London from Napoli throughout the summer transfer period. Ultimately a deal between the parties could not be agreed and Osimhen eventually signed on with Galatasaray. The Blues certainly wanted the forward to join the club though.
After failing to grab Osimhen, Blues brass believe Jackson is the best option at the position going forward. The Senegalese star was earning about $85,000 per week in his previous deal. It remains to be seen how much of a raise, if any, Chelsea officials are handing Jackson with the extension. 20 other Blues players currently make more money than this figure.
Extending a player’s contract that was already not expiring until 2031 seems like a strange decision for a team. Nevertheless, Chelsea has made a series of headlines in recent years for making such moves. Blues brass has spent an astounding $1.4 billion on new players since the summer of 2022.
During this timeframe, most of the roster has been handed long-term deals. In fact, only one significant senior player, Ben Chilwell, currently has a contract that will expire before 2028. Chelsea also recently rewarded Cole Palmer with a new nine-year deal as well. Like Jackson, the Englishman is now set to remain in West London until 2033.
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