Nicolas Jackson's double to defeat Manchester City on Saturday capped an excellent start to the striker's spell at Aston Villa. Signed from Chelsea as a direct replacement for Ollie Watkins - Villa's main source of goals for the previous six seasons - it was imperative the 25-year-old Senegal international hit the ground running in claret and blue. Jackson has done just that, scoring seven goals in his first 11 appearances for Villa - six in the last six - and helping his new side to a 100% start in the Champions League and spearheading their recovery after a slow start to the Premier League campaign.
"The players, the manager, the team - everything is incredible," Jackson told BBC Match of the Day. "I'm very happy that I'm here and hopefully we can do amazing things together." Jackson spent two full seasons at Chelsea after joining in 2023 and had a year on loan at German giants Bayern Munich before moving to Villa in the summer for a deal worth up to £65m. There is a much smaller sample size from his time at Villa Park compared with his spell at Stamford Bridge, but on several metrics, he is showing signs of improvement.
Jackson scored 24 goals in 65 Premier League appearances for Chelsea, netting every 210 minutes on average, with a shot conversion rate of 15%. That compares with four in seven games for Villa, averaging a goal every 138 minutes with a shot conversion rate of 21%. One of the criticisms of Jackson at Chelsea was he had lots of chances and did not convert as many of them as he should.
In his early weeks at Villa, he is outperforming his expected goals tally by exactly two. Both of their shots on target against City came from Jackson's right foot - and both ended up in the net. England international Watkins scored 91 Premier League goals in 221 league appearances for Villa before moving to Saudi Arabia club Al-Hilal in August.
He was a consistent scorer, never failing to reach double figures for Premier League goals during each of his six seasons with the club. The respective statistics of Jackson and Watkins from last season suggest Jackson is more involved in general play than the England forward, while also being involved in more chances. If Jackson's current run of form continues, his fee may prove to be a bargain.
Former Villa and England defender Martin Keown told BBC Sport: "I've liked him all season. I think he's key to Villa's success. "I think he's an upgrade on Ollie Watkins, I really do.
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