January 7th 2025.
Former Chelsea player John Obi Mikel has expressed his doubts about the team's current striker Nicolas Jackson and believes that the club should revisit their interest in Victor Osimhen.
In the past few weeks, Chelsea's performance in the Premier League has suffered, with four consecutive matches without a win. They are now 10 points behind Liverpool, who are leading the league and also have a game in hand. Jackson has scored nine goals in the Premier League this season, but his form has been inconsistent, with only one goal in his last six appearances.
Last summer, Chelsea came close to signing Osimhen, but the Nigerian international ended up joining Galatasaray on loan from Napoli. Obi Mikel believes that in order to close the gap on Liverpool, Chelsea must bring in a new striker who can provide competition for Jackson and help the team win crucial matches.
"We are creating chances and playing well, but we are not clinical enough in front of goal. We need another top, top striker who can come in and score goals when Jackson is not at his best," said Obi Mikel on The Obi One Podcast.
He added, "Jackson is a good player who can link up play, but he's not the type of striker who can win us the Premier League or other trophies. If we had Osimhen or someone like Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting, we would still be competing for the title."
Obi Mikel also pointed out that Jackson's lack of goals is a concern for the team. He said, "With only one goal in six matches, it's not good enough. Look at Alexander Isak at Newcastle, he's been in great form. That's the kind of striker we need."
But the former Chelsea midfielder also believes that Jackson should not take Chelsea's pursuit of another striker as a negative thing. He cited the example of Didier Drogba, who faced strong competition for his place in the team during his time at Stamford Bridge.
"The club should have brought in another striker before the start of the season, but they didn't. I don't think they will do it in January, but they should definitely get one in the summer," said Obi Mikel.
He continued, "Having competition for places is healthy for the team. Roman Abramovich used to bring in top strikers every year, like Nicolas Anelka, Fernando Torres, and Andriy Shevchenko. It's not a problem, it's for the betterment of the club."
Obi Mikel also revealed that Chelsea's owner Roman Abramovich had explained to Drogba the importance of having another top striker in the team. "Didier knew that injuries and dips in form can happen, and having another striker would benefit the team. Jackson should not be upset about this, it's for the success of the team and for him to reach his full potential," said Obi Mikel.
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