Chelsea boss Maresca weighs Nicolas Jackson vs. Delap striker competition
- Omna Taddele
- Jun 20
- 1 min read
Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca said it is yet to be seen how Senegal international Nicolas Jackson will handle growing competition to lead the Blues' attack. The Italian coach brought in Liam Delap, meaning Jackson now faces stiff competition to lead the Blues’ front line.
Speaking after Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Los Angeles FC in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, Maresca addressed his two strikers.
“I am curious to see how Nicolas Jackson will handle the competition with Liam Delap. I think both are very good number nines. I hope both will score a lot of goals and provide assists like they did this time (against LAFC),” he said.
For the past two seasons, Jackson led the attacking line for Chelsea and was a regular starter during much of his time at the West London club. That could change in the 2025/26 season following the arrival of Delap from Ipswich Town.
Maresca noted that he prefers goal distribution among his players rather than relying on a single source for goals, suggesting Jackson could still play a key role:
“I prefer to have four to five players who score 10 to 12 goals each rather than a striker who scores 40 goals,” he added.
Jackson performed well as Chelsea began their Club World Cup campaign with a win.
