“I don’t think he can get us over the line in terms of winning trophies” - John Obi Mikel pinpoints issue with 23-year-old Chelsea star

Former midfielder John Obi Mikel has once again criticized Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson. He believes the Senegal star cannot be the club's first-choice striker if they wish to win the Premier League title, or even finish in the top four.

Speaking on his podcast, Mikel acknowledged that Chelsea were playing well but needed a striker who could convert the chances consistently. He believes Jackson is not clinical enough and not fit enough to lead the attack. He said:

"We are creating chances, we are still playing well, we are still doing the right things but we’re not clinical enough, we’re not scoring goals. We’ve talked about getting another top, top striker who can win us these kind of games, difficult games where if Nicolas Jackson is not firing on all cylinders you can give him a rest and then get someone else to come into the team and try to win us games and score goals.

"We are not clinical enough, he is not scoring enough goals. He puts himself in the right positions but then he’s not finishing, he’s not scoring enough. He’s not a striker who’s going to get us to the top four or win us the Premier League title. He’s not that striker. I don’t think he can get us over the line in terms of winning trophies. For me, he’s a player who can link up play, he’s good on the ball but he’s not scoring enough goals."

Mikel spoke about Jackson earlier this season as well, terming him not solid enough to lead the Blues to silverware. The forward then picked up his form and even hit back at the former midfielder after Chelsea's 6-2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

John Obi Mikel wants Chelsea to sign a striker soon

John Obi Mikel has urged Chelsea to sign the likes of Victor Osimhen or Viktor Gyokeres to challenge for the Premier League title. He believes any of those two strikers will be an upgrade on Nicolas Jackson. He noted:

"If we had Victor Osimhen or the guy from Sporting, Viktor Gyokeres, trust me, we’d still be competing for the Premier League. Nicolas is not scoring enough, the finishing, he needs to find a way. For me it’s a bit of a worry because we’re not scoring enough."

Nicolas Jackson has scored nine goals in 19 Premier League matches this season while assisting three times. Osimhen, who joined Galatasaray on loan this season, has scored 10 goals in 12 league matches for them while adding another three goals in four Europa League games.