Gary Neville names Chelsea star who has forced sporting directors to make bold transfer decision

Gary Neville has questioned whether or not Chelsea still need to sign a new striker ahead of the January transfer window. The Blues were heavily linked with some big names in the summer, like Victor Osimhen and Viktor Gyokeres, but Enzo Maresca invested great faith in Nicolas Jackson.

The 23-year-old striker, who sees his contract at Stamford Bridge expire in June 2033, has featured 13 times in the Premier League this season, scoring eight goals and providing three assists. He's enjoyed a brilliant start to the campaign, firing Chelsea to third place in the table.

Speaking on his Sky Sports podcast following Liverpool's win over Manchester City, Neville was quizzed on Jackson's impressive performances. The Manchester United legend said: "Nicolas Jackson, I’m happy for him. I never thought he was the problem.

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"I thought they might need to sign another forward but I thought he would be a really good second striker. If you had a number nine like Diego Costa and Jackson was your man to come on, you’d think what a good striker he is to come on.

"He’s now pushing to the point where you think, 'do we actually need that first striker? Could he be that first striker?' I had a lot of love for him last year even though he was erratic and made mistakes. We’re now seeing a real handful up there and someone you wouldn’t want to play against as a centre half."

Last week, Maresca explained exactly why he's been so happy with Jackson. Speaking to the official club website, the Chelsea boss said: "He is doing very well with us. Since we started, he has been open minded in what we ask him, and sometimes we require different things from him.

"He’s has an open mind and wants to learn and he’s doing very well, not just in goals and assists, but also the way he works off the ball. The way he presses, he is always aggressive and we are very happy."

Maresca added: "He is already good - good enough for us - but like all players, there are many things he can do better. For sure, this season he’s had one-v-one chances he has missed - that can happen - but he can improve that area. He can be a bit more brave on the ball when we need to link with him but overall there are many areas he’s already improved a lot."

With Jackson making great progress and establishing himself as one of the top strikers in the Premier League, Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart can look to prioritise other positions in the January transfer window.