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"He's a top player": Premier League legend Peter Crouch backing Chelsea star to return to form after bad run of games

Barnaby Lane

Updated: 1 day ago

Peter Crouch.
Peter Crouch. (Deposit Photos)

Premier League legend Peter Crouch thinks Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson is a "top player" and is backing him to return to form after a recent run of bad form.


Jackson began the season in superb fashion, bagging nine goals and producing three assists in his first 15 Premier League games.


The 23-year-old, however, has now found the net jsut once in his last seven, wasting numerous chances in front of goal – something he was heavily criticised for doing last season.


Speaking with TNT Sports ahead of Chelsea's game with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday night, Crouch, who scored 108 Premier League goals during his career, shared his support for the young Senegalese striker.


"Last year he was almost like a figure of fun sometimes with the chances he missed," Crouch said. "I think he's been more ruthless this year."


"I think he's looked sharper and I think he leads the line well," he explained "He'll definitely be back, he's a top player."


Reflecting on his own experience of suffering through goal droughts during his playing days, the former Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur striker said: "It's the worst part of a striker's game, when you're not scoring goals you start questioning everything about your game, and you start overthinking things."


"It's the worst part of being a striker, when you're not scoring," he added. "But he's a top player, I think he's really turned people's opinions around this year."


Nicolas Jackson.
Nicolas Jackson. (Deposit Photos)

Jackson isn't the only Chelsea player who has been struggling for goals as of late.


Winger Noni Madueke has scored just once in his last 13 Premier League games, Jadon Sancho just twice in his last 10 games, and Pedro Neto just once in 18 appearances all season.



"In terms of wingers we can score more goals for the amount of times that we arrive and put our wingers in positions one-v-one in the box, like Pedro and Jadon," he said. "Hopefully they can start soon to score goals."


"The important thing is that they arrive there in every game," the Italian coach added. "In the last game against Bournemouth, Jadon and Noni arrived one-v-one inside the box many times. If we are clinical for sure it is better for the team."


Chelsea must trust in Jackson


Everything Chelsea says...


Amid Jackson's poor form in front of goal, the Blues have been linked with a number of strikers in the January transfer market, including Ipswich Town's Liam Delap and Eintracht Frankfurt's Omar Marmoush, who is now seemingly close to joining Manchester City.


Chelsea, however, need to trust in Jackson, not rush to find a replacement after a few bad games.



Jackson will be as frustrated with his own lack of goals as much as anyone, but the promising thing is he's still getting in the position to score. Though he's missing right now, he's proven he can be clinical, and no doubt will again, while his link-up play has also remained as fantastic as ever.


At 23, he's still young and has plenty of time to improve. Didier Drogba didn't exactly blow everyone away during his first two seasons at Chelsea, and look how successful he went on to be.


Jackson deserves the chance to do the same.

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