Do Chelsea really need another striker?! New boys Christopher Nkunku & Nicolas Jackson look like the real deal

A striker's job, first and foremost, is to score goals - something Chelsea dearly lacked last season in particular, although they have had a dearth of prolific output for some time. Given the profligacy Blues followers and coaches alike have become accustomed to from their forward players in recent years, it has been striking just how comfortable Nkunku and Jackson have looked in front of goal.

Unburdened by the weight of weeks and months of misfiring from goalscoring opportunities in a blue shirt, and indeed the pressure of the season proper, the two new signings have looked free and easy when chances have presented themselves.

Nkunku has two goals in fewer than 90 minutes on Chelsea's pre-season tour, ruthlessly firing into the roof of the net after rounding the goalkeeper against Wrexham, and producing an instinctive flick to net against Brighton. Jackson has scored once, sweeping a finish into the top corner on the run against the Seagulls, but has been a creative force elsewhere.

It's Senegal international Jackson who has caught the eye in particular. There was probably some expectation that Nkunku would hit the ground running, but Jackson - who would have been an unknown quantity to anyone who hadn't followed La Liga in any great detail - has been a surprise package.

The 22-year-old has oozed confidence in his brief time in a Chelsea shirt, seemingly still riding on the wave of his prolific end to the 2022-23 campaign with Villarreal, where he scored nine goals in as many games. He has effortlessly generated an understanding with his colleagues in the attacking third, and the early signs are good as he contributes goals and assists already.

Granted, one of his the striker's appearances came against Wrexham, but there is no doubt that Jackson's combination of attributes could stand him in very good stead in the Premier League; a rangy 6'2 frame, pace, a fine first touch and devastating finishing ability - he could become a problem.

Given Chelsea's dearth of options up front, he could well be their starting striker as the new season edges ever closer. That will of course be the real test, but his form so far in pre-season and at the back end of 2022-23 suggests he could well be up to the challenge.

Indeed, that immediate synergy with his team-mates has been the most impressive thing about Jackson's start to life at Chelsea. He had his first assist for the club two minutes into his debut against Wrexham, completing a winding run by laying the ball off to Ian Maatsen to finish.

Against Brighton, he helped Mykhailo Mudryk to finally get off the mark for the club, exchanging passes with the winger with a cute one-two before the Ukrainian crashed a fine strike beyond the goalkeeper. He showed close control to provide a scruffy assist for Conor Gallagher later in the game, too.

Jackson's laid-back personality is clearly strengthening those bonds. Speaking on the club's U.S. tour, he said: "I get on with everyone. I talk to everybody. We chill out together. We’re playing cards, playing games when we are not training."

Nkunku, too, has shown his ability to drop deep and link play - exemplified by his strike against Wrexham. His deft layoff to Cesare Casadei in the build-up was sublime, before he turned on the afterburners to get on the end of the Italian's pass and round the goalkeeper.

Even in isolation, that burst of pace through the lines was refreshing to see. Although there is some responsibility on the player playing the pass, Chelsea followers have grown apathetic having witnessed countless aimless runs or wasted darts into space by the likes of Kai Havertz and Timo Werner in recent years.

Jackson's movement and assist against Wrexham were impressive, too, and he could well have profited from his interchange with Mudryk as he created space by rolling away from his marker. The Senegal international's run between two Brighton defenders was also immaculately timed in the lead-up to his goal. Pochettino and Chelsea will hope this is all a sign of things to come.

Another significant benefit of players like Nkunku and Jackson - especially if they continue to hit the back of the net on a regular basis - is that neither are traditional centre-forwards, per se.

Both are capable of operating across the front line, with Jackson's debut assist arriving from the right wing. Nkunku is particularly versatile; although his preferred role is playing just off the striker, he can operate as a winger and is willing to shoulder the goalscoring responsibility as a striker if required.

This means there is still space in the squad if Chelsea do feel the need to pursue a new out-and-out No.9, although it has been reported that Pochettino is content that Nkunku can do the job - and his exploits alongside Jackson so far back that up. Between them, they look capable of providing a decent goal haul.