“Is he drunk?”, “This guy is a troll” - Chelsea fans react after Mikel makes big claim about Nicolas Jackson amid transfer rumors

Chelsea fans on X (formerly Twitter) have slammed former player John Obi Mikel for his comments on Nicolas Jackson. The Nigerian has performed a U-turn on the striker and claimed that the Blues should not sell the Senegal star.

Jackson is considering his future at Chelsea after the addition of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap this summer. The striker was suspended for the opening game of the Premier League season, while Enzo Maresca has confirmed that the striker will not be a part of the West Ham United clash as he looks for his next club.

Mikel, who repeatedly called for the Blues to replace Jackson last season, was on his podcast this week and has said he would be delighted if the striker stayed. He said:

"I am hearing that Nicolas Jackson wants to leave. I hope he [Jackson] stays because I still think he has a massive part to play this season. He's a fantastic player, the qualities and what he brings to this football club. I think we need that. If he stays, I am very happy."

The fans are left stunned by the comments and have questioned whether the former player thinks before speaking on his podcast. Here are some of the reactions:

"He is being real?", questioned a fan.

"Are you for real?", asked a curious fan who could not control his laugh.

"You are so hypocritical", said another while reacting to the quotes.

"All these pundits 🤣 they're just here for the clicks", labeled a fan who thinks Mikel is only worried about views for his podcast.

Aston Villa are in talks with Chelsea for Nicolas Jackson, as Uni Emery eyes a reunion with the striker he worked with at Villarreal. Bayern Munich are also interested in the striker, while Nottingham Forest, AC Milan and Newcastle United are also keeping tabs.

What did John Obi Mikel say about Chelsea star Nicolas Jackson?

John Obi Mikel questioned Nicolas Jackson several times last season and repeatedly claimed that the Senegal star was not good enough to lead the attack for Chelsea. He claimed that the Blues were never going to win the title with the former Villarreal star in the starting XI and said:

"We are not clinical enough, he [Nicolas Jackson] 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."

Chelsea want over £70 million for Nicolas Jackson and are open to selling him this summer. He has a contract until 2033 at the club after penning an extension last summer.

About the author

Sripad is a veteran Sportskeeda football journalist who has been with the company for around 10 years. His tryst with writing happened in class XI when he started penning blogs, and his foray into football was during the early 2000s, watching matches with his cousins.

Sripad has been a Chelsea fan through and through since the age of 9 and can watch their 2012 Champions League triumph on repeat. The undisputed ‘GOAT’ according to him is Lionel Messi and his favorite managers are Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson. Apart from popular European leagues, he also likes to follow other leagues like the MLS, Saudi Pro League, Eredivisie, and Liga MX.

Sripad believes in only using the right sources for his articles, and is an expert in understanding how to get the right quotes for each news to provide proper background information. His exploits have led him to become a popular figure in European Football and interviewing Premier League legends such as Alan Shearer, Shay Given, Paul Dickov, and John Barnes. His articles have been much revered amongst the football fraternity and have been shared by the likes of John Terry, Gary Lineker, and Declan Rice.

If given a chance to change a football rule, Sripad wants VAR to be fully automated and offside rules to be less stringent. When not working, he likes to watch past Formula 1 races and play FIFA.

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