Nicolas Jackson is getting a real wave of media hype now in response to his strong start to the season, and the latest to big him up was Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.
The former Chelsea striker is “convinced” that the Senegal star can go on to be one of the most valuable players in the world, and even pointed out what he does better than Erling Haaland.
“He’s progressing really well, I think he’s coming along nicely in his development as a top, top striker,” he said in quotes picked up by CaughtOffside.
“Nicolas Jackson and Erling Haaland are similar ages. The major difference is, Haaland has a lot more top-level experience in terms of Champions League football. He’s been playing at that level since he burst onto the scene playing for Salzburg and has stayed there. Jackson hasn’t done that.
“That is what Jackson needs to do to be considered one of the best strikers in the world. He needs to be decisive on the pitch and he needs to score goals regularly at the highest level in the game. It’s a big challenge for him, but he has the potential to get there.
“If Jackson fulfils his potential, he will be a £150 million player. I’m convinced of that. He’s a player that has the potential to be able to do everything. He can play outside the box. He can play with the ball at his feet, those are things that Erling Haaland can’t really do.”
How Jackson reaches the magic mark
Well there’s no doubt Jackson is off to a great start. What can he do to actually reach that kind of valuation though? Even in the modern game, that level of fee is reserved for the very best – and there’s some argument that we’re not going to see another player move for that sort of fee again, at least for a while. The biggest moves now tend to be free transfers – see Kylian Mbappe – or arranged for a fixed price in advance – see Erling Haaland.
Jackson just has to keep scoring goals and playing well and not worry too much about all the noise. He’s made brilliant progress already, and we look forward to what the next 9 months brings.
