“I didn’t think he had that” – Pundit admits he was wrong over Chelsea star’s potential | OneFootball

Craig Burley is always one of Chelsea’s biggest critics, and he was of course one of top names who loved laying into Nicolas Jackson when he was struggling last year.

So it’s a sign of how things have changed in the 12 months since that Burley is now on ESPN singing the striker’s praises. The former Chelsea player and current pundit went into some detail about the aspects of Jackson’s game he’s enjoying most:

“His link-up play, I’m thinking West Ham away, Wolves away, games where he’s dropped in, they’ve played the ball into his feet quickly. He’s either laid it off or he spun it around the corner and Chelsea on the break” Burley said in a long passage speaking about the Blues’ 2-1 win over Leicester yesterday and other games in the last couple of months.

“I didn’t think he had that in his game. I didn’t think he had that facet in his locker where he could link-up the play as well as running behind. So listen, I don’t want to go over the top. It’s very early in the season, but you have to give credit when players have stepped up to the plate and improved, and he’s one of them.”

Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez celebrate a goal against Leicester. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)

Jackson is taking his game to unexpected new heights and bringing teammates with him

It’s been great to hear pundits walking back their comments on Jackson, who has gone up levels this season. 7 goals and 3 assists in 12 games is a superb return, but as Burley said, it’s about more than that.

He works his socks off and makes his teammates better. He’s been a great signing, and Burley’s previous opinion that we’d had some “utterly stupid” squad building surely also needs to be revised at some point. There have been some big misses, but there are hits in there too, none bigger than Jackson.