Chelsea must regret selling “monster” who’s now outscoring Jackson & Palmer

The 2023/24 summer window is possibly the most important of the Chelsea rebuild under their new ownership, with Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital spending €464.10m (£384.3m) on 12 new signings, the most notable being the record signing of Moises Caicedo.

Six of the players signed in this window are currently in Enzo Maresca’s squad this season, whilst a few are out on loan and a few have since been sold for a small profit.

But two of the best value-for-money deals made in this window have to be Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson, who have since formed a very good connection in their one-and-a-half seasons at the club, often carrying much of the attacking burden for the Blues.

Nicolas Jackson & Cole Palmer’s partnership

Palmer has made 29 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring 14 goals and providing six assists, whilst Jackson has made 24 appearances, scoring nine goals and providing five assists.

Maresca clearly views the pair as extremely important pieces for his Chelsea side, as the two players clearly complement one another nicely.

Jackson’s willingness to make selfless runs into the channels, stretch play and take defenders away, pairs nicely with Palmer, who can then utilise the space being created for him with these runs, allowing him to produce his moments of magic.

What the Blues have been missing this season, is a different profile to Jackson to offer Maresca something different, especially against low-block sides, who aim to congest central areas and force crosses into the box, which is an area Chelsea have struggled with, as has been highlighted with their interest in the likes of Benjamin Sesko.

Chelsea must regret selling a “monster”

One man Chelsea sold during the 2023/24 summer window when they bought Palmer and Jackson to the club, was Kai Havertz, who joined Arsenal for a fee of around £65m.

The German made 139 appearances for the Blues, scoring 32 goals, providing 12 assists and totalling 9,022 minutes played.

Havertz, of course, scored the all-important Champions League Final winner in the 2020/21 season, forever printing his name in the history of the club, after rounding Ederson and slotting it home to make it 1-0.

When comparing Havertz to Jackson, you can see the aerial prowess the German has over the Senegal international, winning 2.29 more aerial duels per 90 and also finishing at a more clinical rate, with a 0.16 goals/shot ratio compared to Jackson’s 0.14 ratio.

Havertz was labelled a “monster” by writer Jake Entwistle earlier this season, praising the Germans’ ability to get shots off and cause chaos with his movement and positioning.

The 25-year-old has made 34 appearances for Arsenal this season, scoring 15 goals, providing five assists and totalling 2,776, but will now miss the rest of the season due to injury.

That 15-goal haul, for context, places him ahead of both Palmer (14) and Jackson (nine) with regard to goals scored in all competitions in 2024/25 to date.

Whilst the money recouped for Havertz is widely considered as a good value sale for Chelsea, his profile could have been helpful to Maresca this season, offering a different skill set to Jackson as a striker option.

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