Former Nigerian footballer, Mikel Obi has urged Premier League side Chelsea to keep hold of Senegalese striker Nicolas Jackson due to his footballing prowess.
He explained that Jackson is a player who possesses a lot of quality as an attacker in terms of scoring and contributing to build-up play as a forward.
The former Chelsea midfielder asserted that Jackson’s presence at the club will augment the team’s attack and create competition despite his wastefulness in-front of goal.
Speaking on The Obi One podcast, the former captain of the Super Eagles advised Jackson to stay at Chelsea for the 2025/2026 season to help his football career.
“I’m happy that the club has gone on and done that business and brought in two strikers. And I’m hearing that Nicolas Jackson wants to leave. I hope he stays, because I still think he has a massive part to play this season, going forward in this football club.
“I’ve said it, he’s a fantastic player. The qualities that he brings into the football club, I think we need that. If he stays, I’m very happy if he stays,” he said.
Obi further urged the Blues hierarchy to strengthen the defensive setup of the team following the injury to Levi Colwill and other top defenders.
“So for me, his [Colwill] absence is going to be massively missed. So I think the club obviously knows we have to go back into the market and try to strengthen that position. I think now everybody can see what I’ve been saying all along, that all we need is competition. It just pushes everybody to take their game to the next level,” he added.
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Meanwhile, Jackson has had limited playing time following the arrival of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap.
Reports indicate that Bayern Munich and Aston Villa have registered interest in the Senegalese striker but nothing has been finalised yet.
Watch Obi’s remarks below:
John Obi Mikel on Nicolas Jackson: “I hope he stays because I still think he has a massive part to play this season. He’s a fantastic player , the qualities and what he brings to this football club. I think we need that” (via @obionepodcast)
pic.twitter.com/pMiFP3cZB8— ChelsTransfer (@ChelsTransfer) August 21, 2025
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