Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards is quite concerned about one Chelsea star at the minute and thinks the club need to sign someone to help him.
He and his teammates actually had a very good weekend, managing to beat Liverpool 3-1 at Stamford Bridge.
It has given their chances of securing Champions League qualification a massive boost with there now just three games left to play.
The likes of Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo did well, but one of their teammates was not at his best and Richards has been discussing him.
Micah Richards wants to see Chelsea sign a new striker to help out Nicolas Jackson
Palmer was furious at Nicolas Jackson during one stage of Chelsea’s win against Liverpool, with the striker being caught offside on multiple occasions.
Jackson had an afternoon to forget, but Richards has some sympathy for him, believing that there is “too much pressure” on his shoulders right now.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football about Chelsea’s need for a new forward, the ex-England international said: “There’s too much pressure on him to deliver all the time and his numbers over the past couple of seasons have actually been all right, but I think they need another style striker.”
There has also been a lot of pressure on Palmer, and maybe that was starting to take a toll on the attacking midfielder.
He had been on an 18-game goal drought before his penalty at Stamford Bridge over the weekend. Jackson was also on a barren run until he netted against Everton at the end of April.
It was his 10th goal of the season, with the 23-year-old quickly notching up his 11th and 12th against Djurgarden afterwards.
| Nicolas Jackson’s 2024/25 stats | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Premier League | 29 | 10 | 5 |
| Conference League | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Conference League qualifiers | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| FA Cup | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 32 | 12 | 5 |
While it was not his best performance, Chelsea fans still applauded Jackson for his effort against Liverpool.
Chelsea targets who could take some pressure off Nicolas Jackson
The likelihood is that Chelsea will sign a new centre-forward this summer to help Jackson up front.
In terms of targets, Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap looks like the main one for the club. Chelsea and multiple other teams want Delap, who is available for £30m following Ipswich’s relegation to the Championship.
Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres is another option for Chelsea. He has been in ridiculous form this season, scoring 52 goals in all competitions.
Whether it is Gyokeres, Delap or someone else, Richards has a point. Enzo Maresca needs a genuine alternative to Jackson going forward.
