Nicolas Jackson scored Chelsea’s fastest goal in seven years during their match against Wolverhampton Wanderers over the weekend. He saw this as the perfect opportunity to respond to former Nigeria international Mikel Obi, who has been critical of his scoring ability.
Obi had previously criticized Jackson for missing key chances in Chelsea’s season opener against Manchester City. Specifically, he expressed disappointment over a moment when Jackson dribbled past several defenders but ended with a weak shot.
After Chelsea defeated Wolverhampton 6-2, Jackson tagged Obi on social media and wrote: “@Mikel_john_obi, shut your mouth. Don’t talk sh*t; we’re working hard for Africa.”
In response, Obi spoke on The Obi One podcast on Monday, saying, “I really like the guy as a football player. I see potential in him.
“I haven’t said he’s a bad player at all. I’ve only pointed out that his finishing needs improvement.
“He’s a young player, and I believe he could benefit from having a more experienced striker at the club to help him grow and improve his game.
“We all can see the effort he puts in week in and week out. I want to see my African brother, as he said, succeed in the Premier League, especially at Chelsea— a massive club with a history of outstanding African strikers like Didier Drogba from Ivory Coast.
“I want him to excel at the club. If he plays well, I’ll praise him. If there are areas for improvement, I won’t hesitate to mention them.
“If he scores every week and tells me to shut up, I’d gladly accept that, you know what I mean?”
Obi voiced his critique of Jackson while working as an analyst for beIN Sports.
“We’ve played okay; it hasn’t been perfect, but we’ve played reasonably well.
“We’ve created chances, but we haven’t been able to finish them. For example, Jackson is capable of impressive plays, but he needs to improve his finishing.
“Even when he was offside, he dribbled past one, two, or three players, yet his shot lacked precision.
“We need a striker who can consistently find the back of the net, and that’s something we’re currently missing.
“I know I discuss him often, and it may sound disrespectful at times, but I don’t mean to.
“I believe Chelsea Football Club needs a top striker who can score goals.
“Just look at Haaland’s phenomenal 91 goals for City; that’s simply incredible.”
Since joining Chelsea in 2023, Jackson has scored 18 goals in 46 matches.
