Chelsea have announced the signing of a Senegal international from Villareal on an eight-year contract following a breakout 2022/23 campaign in La Liga with the Yellow Submarines.
Jackson scored 12 goals in 38 appearances across all competitions for Villarreal and earned a call-up for the Senegal World Cup squad. He made his international debut at the tournament in Qatar.
Co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said:
‘We are excited to welcome Nicolas to Chelsea. He is a young player with big potential, as he showcased for Villarreal last season.
‘We believe he is ready for this next step in his career and look forward to him working with our new head coach, Mauricio Pochettino, and his Chelsea teammates.’
In an interview, Jackson lament how he watched the Stamford Bridge as a child and playing in such a recognized pitch is a dream come true:
‘This is the first time I’ve been to Stamford Bridge, it’s perfect,’ he said. ‘It’s very big and the fans are near the pitch. The Villarreal stadium is like that, so I’m used to the fans being right up close to the pitch and I like that a lot.
‘I wanted to join a big team and Chelsea is one of the best teams in the world, plus I’ve watched them since I was young. I watched Demba Ba, Didier Drogba, and Nicolas Anelka were good too, big players. So I always dreamed of playing for a team like this.
‘When Chelsea came there was no question in my mind. I always had this kind of team in my mind. I talked to my family and my agent and I have icons who played here – Drogba and Ba, big strikers. So when Chelsea came my heart said the answer should be yes and I decided to follow it and come here.
‘I remember the Champions League final in 2012 and especially when Drogba scored that header right at the end. I watched those players for Chelsea when I was growing up so I decided to follow in their footsteps. Hopefully, that’s what continues to happen now I’m here.’
