Chelsea are back in the Champions League conversation for the first time in the Todd Boehly era, as new manager Enzo Maresca has guided the Blues to their best start in years, coaxing bounce-back seasons from a couple of key transfer investments.
Midfielder Moises Caicedo’s rebound as one of the world’s best has been the most striking, but Nicolas Jackson’s newfound consistency has been just as impactful of a storyline at Stamford Bridge.
This weekend, Jackson added a seventh goal to his Premier League tally, as he proved decisive with yet another fine all-around performance for the Blues in a 2-1 win over Maresca’s former employers, Leicester City.
In the spirit of Jackson’s improved displays in the 2024/25 season, let’s take a look at where the Chelsea star ranks in comparison to his peers at the striker position in the Premier League.
5. Dominic Solanke, Tottenham
Dominic Solanke was actually a more expensive and controversial signing for Tottenham than Jackson was at Chelsea, but, so far, the other No. 9 in London is proving Spurs right.
He is one of the two most well-rounded strikers in English football alongside Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins, and he just edges out a superior finisher in Jhon Duran because he holds more importance to Tottenham as a regular starter.
4. Alexander Isak, Newcastle
Alexander Isak has always been a little overrated, because while he is capable of dizzying heights when he goes on a hot streak, he is one of the most maddeningly inconsistent strikers in European football.
Newcastle fans are beginning to see more of those issues unveil in the 2024/25 season, including his penchant for selfishness and very poor creative play, which is why Real Sociedad were actually keen on selling him to the Magpies.
But when Isak is in the mood, he is one of the smoothest dribblers at the striker position in the Premiership and a devastating finisher who can score three (or more) goals with seeming ease.
3. Nicolas Jackson, Chelsea
Nicolas Jackson is a firecracker, and Chelsea knew that when they saw how brilliant he was during the second half of the 2022/23 season for Villarreal, shining as one of La Liga’s best players during that time span despite coming off a significant injury.
Although he had some growing pains in his first season in the Premier League, Jackson wasn’t as bad as the fail comps of his poor finishing would have led you to believe, because he did finish with a career-high 14 goals and 5 assists by virtue of sheer volume.
Like Darwin Nunez, Jackson is one of the best strikers in the world at carving out opportunities for himself with his motor and explosiveness. Now this season, Jackson is showing more consistency in front of goal.
He already has 7 goals and 3 assists through 12 matches, averaging 1.1 key passes and 1.0 fouls drawn per game in what is shaping up to be his best season as a pure goal-scorer.
2. Ollie Watkins, Aston Villa
If this ranking were solely about current season performance, Nicolas Jackson would actually be ahead of Ollie Watkins, because the 2023/24 Premier League Player of the Season candidate has been a bit worse this season.
However, Watkins has still been good with 6 goals, 2 assists, and 1.2 fouls drawn per game. The gap between Jackson and Isak is pretty close, but the gap between Jackson and Watkins in terms of quality is even closer.
1. Erling Haaland, Manchester City
Erling Haaland is the undisputed best striker in the Premier League, and anyone trying to argue otherwise is seriously misguided – not that you’d find a reasonable person who would disagree with the Norwegian’s placement at the top.
On pace for more than 30 goals again this season, Haaland is the man around which Manchester City is built from an attacking sense, and while his all-around development has stagnated as a result of City’s reliance on his goals, a striker never loses the traits he once showed weekly. Just ask Robert Lewandowski.
