Thierry Henry’s old comment about Nicolas Jackson comes to light amid reports of Arsenal wanting to sign Chelsea striker

Thierry Henry's old comments on Nicolas Jackson have resurfaced amid reports that Arsenal are looking to sign the Chelsea star. The Frenchman backed the young striker to become the 'real deal' soon despite his shaky form last season.

Speaking on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football in December 2024, Henry said that Jackson was getting compared to Drogba and thus got too much criticism at Stamford Bridge. He added that the former Villarreal star will soon be one of the best, but needed time.

The Arsenal legend said (via The Chelsea Chronicle):

"He's on his way to being that [the real deal] but it's a long road. One thing that is difficult when you play for a club like Chelsea and teams who are at the top is that you get compared to who was there before. And maybe you're not the same kind of striker, you're a different striker, but you're going to get compared to [Didier] Drogba."

Interestingly, less than a month after Henry's comments, former Blues midfielder John Obi-Mikel criticized Jackson. He claimed that the striker wasn't good enough to lead the Blues to trophies and said (via The Pride Of London):

"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."

Nicolas Jackson scored 10 goals and assisted five times in the Premier League last season. He scored thrice in the UEFA Conference League, including in the 4-1 win over Real Betis in the final.

Arsenal interested in signing Chelsea star, claims Duncan Castles

Journalist Duncan Castles, on The Transfers Podcast, reported that Arsenal were interested in Nicolas Jackson. He said that the Senegal star was one of the players Mikel Arteta was looking at if he became available. He said (via Football Transfers):

"There's one more name that I've become aware of this week, which may come as a surprise, which is Nicolas Jackson, the striker who's had an interesting time in his two years at Chelsea. Chelsea have always been looking for either adding someone else in that position or replacing him totally. Chelsea say they're not actively looking to sell Jackson in this window, but he's not one of the untouchable figures within their squad."

Arsenal are set to sign Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea this summer by activating his £5 million release clause. They have also been linked with Noni Madueke of the Blues.