There is a feel-good factor around Chelsea after their superb end to the season, but Frank Leboeuf has confessed that he’s still not totally convinced by one Blues player.
Chelsea finished in fourth position in the Premier League for the 2024/25 campaign, largely due to the fact they won five of their final six games under immense pressure. As a result, they’ve secured a spot in next season’s Champions League after two years away from the competition.
Afterwards, the Blues beat Real Betis 4-1 on Wednesday night in the Conference League final to end the season with a European trophy.
For Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca, it’s got to go down as a successful first year with the club. Can he now take this young group another step further, though?
It’s claimed that Chelsea’s owners are fully supportive of Maresca, and he’s involved in the transfer strategy at Stamford Bridge.
| Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | Trophies |
| 57 | 35 | 9 | 13 | 1 |
Frank Leboeuf still has question marks over Nicolas Jackson
Frank Leboeuf delivered an interesting verdict on Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson straight after he helped his side win the Conference League this week.
The 23-year-old striker scored an important goal on his return and ran Betis ragged at times. However, like most of his displays, there was an element of rawness to his game with a mixture of the good and the bad.
According to Leboeuf, Jackson still has a question mark against his name because he’s very unpredictable.
The former Blues defender told ESPN: “I don’t know what to think about Jackson. I mean, Jackson is a question mark. He’s an enigma.
“He runs a lot. He can do crazy things. The guy wants to make a header; he scored with his chest. I don’t know what he does, but he scores goals. He sacrifices himself for the team. His easy stuff becomes very difficult. Difficult things become sometimes easy. That guy is an enigma.”
Prior to the Conference League final, Maresca challenged Jackson to deliver and repay his teammates after his red card in the Premier League against Newcastle United earlier in May. In fairness, the Blues centre-forward responded by scoring against Betis with an effort that deflected in off his chest.
Overall, Jackson should reflect on a year that has consisted of lots of ups and downs.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 34 | 13 | 5 |
Perhaps Jackson’s stock rose the most when he was unavailable through injury because the Blues noticeably missed him in attack.
Joe Cole’s verdict on Jackson is that Chelsea are a better side when he’s in it.
Nicolas Jackson must be intrigued by Liam Delap development
In the past 24 hours, the Liam Delap transfer speculation has gone to a new level. In fact, everything now points towards the 22-year-old Ipswich Town striker completing a move to Chelsea this summer.
Journalist Fabrizio Romano has reported via X that Delap will sign his Chelsea contract in the next 24 hours.
The most interested individual at Chelsea right now should be Jackson because it looks like he will have fresh competition for the No 9 position at the club next season.
Chelsea fans are excited by Delap’s expected arrival, largely because they want to see him reunite with Cole Palmer. However, we predict it will be a great tussle between Delap and Jackson to be the Blues’ first-choice striker.
