“I’d be asking questions of him” - Theo Walcott names one thing Chelsea star Nicolas Jackson must improve

Former Arsenal winger Theo Walcott has advised Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson to score more tap-ins by making good runs into the box. He believes that the Senegalese striker does well in holding up the ball and bringing the best out of Cole Palmer.

Speaking on the Premier League’s YouTube channel, Walcott stated that the Chelsea star always gets a lot of chances and does well in creating space. However, he believes that the striker needs to do more in upping his numbers and stated that scoring tap-ins is the best way. He said (via Chelsea Chronicle):

“He (Jackson) always has so many chances. He always creates space for other players as well. He brings out the best of Cole Palmer; I think that’s quite clear to see… Yes, he could get his numbers even higher. But I’d be asking questions of him if you were not even in the positions."

“The modern-day strikers like to get involved more in the game. Nicolas Jackson, he can hold the ball up quite well, but he’s not afraid of going a long period of time without touching the ball because he still makes runs and keeps you occupied… If there’s one thing to improve for Nicolas Jackson, it would be those tap-ins.”

Nicolas Jackson has scored 12 goals in 32 matches this season for the Blues. He scored 17 times in 44 matches in his first season with the club, when he played under Mauricio Pochettino.

When John Obi Mikel claimed Nicolas Jackson is not good enough for Chelsea

John Obi Mikel spoke on his podcast earlier this year and claimed that Nicolas Jackson is not good enough to lead Chelsea's attack. He believes that the striker cannot finish chances despite his teammates creating so many for him. He said in January (via Football365):

"We (Chelsea) 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."

Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing Liam Delap from Ipswich Town this summer. They are set to face tough competition from Manchester United for the striker, who has a £30 million release clause.