Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson has responded strongly to criticism from club legend John Obi Mikel, who recently questioned his goal-scoring abilities.
In a fiery social media post, Jackson did not hold back, telling Mikel: “Don’t talk nonsense.”
Jackson’s response comes after his impressive performance in Chelsea’s dominant 6-2 victory over Wolves, where he opened the scoring just 98 seconds into the match – the fastest goal of the 2024-25 Premier League season so far.
His early strike was the perfect answer to critics who have doubted his goal-scoring output at the club.
One of those critics was former Chelsea midfielder Mikel, who, after Chelsea’s 2-0 home defeat to Manchester City in the season opener, expressed concerns over Jackson’s finishing.
Mikel suggested that the club needed a reliable goal-scorer of the calibre of Erling Haaland to compete at the highest level.
He told his Obi One podcast: “We created chances, we haven’t taken them.
“And just an example of how Jackson finishes.
“You can see there, even though he was offside, he dribble [past] one or two or three players and the way he shot the ball!
“You need a striker who knows how to hit a ball back in the back of the net and that’s what we don’t have.
“I know I talk so much about him and sometimes I sound like I disrespect him.
“I don’t disrespect him.
“I think at Chelsea Football Club we need a top striker who can get us a goal.
“A bit like [Haaland], 91 goals [for City] that’s absolutely unbelievable.”
Jackson was visibly frustrated by Mikel’s comments and made it clear by firing back on Instagram.
The Chelsea forward shared a post highlighting his rapid start at Molineux and added a pointed message aimed at the former Nigeria international, stating: “@mikel_john_obi shut your mouth, don’t talk s***.
“We are killing ourselves for Africa.”
Mikel has cemented his legacy as a household name at Chelsea and remains a fan favourite after making 372 appearances over 11 seasons in west London.
During his time at the club, he played a key role in winning two Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups, one Europa League title, and one Champions League title.
Former Villarreal forward, Nicolas Jackson, recently deleted a social media post following criticism but has since shared posts celebrating his performance instead.
One fan encouraged him with the message: “Don’t listen to people.”
Nicolas Jackson scored his first goal of the season, hoping to build on an impressive debut campaign at Stamford Bridge, where he netted 17 goals across all competitions despite a challenging season under Mauricio Pochettino.
The Senegal international has started in both of Chelsea’s first two matches under new manager Enzo Maresca, playing 66 minutes against Manchester City and 68 minutes against Wolves, during which he provided an assist along with his early goal.
Chelsea’s attacking woes have been apparent, with Cole Palmer shouldering the responsibility of being the club’s top scorer last season, netting 25 goals.
To address this, Maresca has bolstered the squad by bringing in Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid, adding much-needed firepower to Chelsea’s forward line.
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