itstargetnews
chelsea A strong start to the season under new coach, Enzo Marescaleading them back to the top four Premier League next to a perfect uefa conference league So far, they have won six out of six games in the group stage.
Blues are Average ball possession rate per game 58.3% per game (second highest in division), Averaged 15.8 shots per game (fourth-highest) and scored 39 goals in 20 games (tied for third-highest).
While the goals have been coming early in the season, Maresca’s side dipped slightly in this area over the festive period, relying heavily on goals from Cole Palmer and Nicholas Jackson, causing them to dry up when suppressed.
This, coupled with their struggles in breaking out low, could lead to Chelsea directors making moves in the January transfer window in the hope of bringing another natural striker to the club to provide competition and support for Jackson.
Chelsea looking for ‘new Joe Kreis’
according to Reporting by reporter Graeme BaileyChelsea are one of the teams planning a move for Sporting CP striker Konrad Harder. Arsenal are also said to be interested in the Danish striker, who is reportedly worth around £42m.
The 19-year-old is known as “new chocles” Posted by analyst Rising Stars on X (formerly Twitter), while Ben Martinson, another analyst The two players’ physique, running power, physical fitness and batting ability were also compared.
more difficult to have Made 22 appearances for Portugal this seasonscored 7 goals and provided 3 assists.
Shift focus
Big-money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is your home for transfer news and opinion on Football FanCast.
How hard is it to compare to Nicholas Jackson
jackson has 20 appearances for the Blues so far in 2024/25 seasonHe scored 9 goals, provided 3 assists, and played a total of 1,485 minutes, becoming an important figure in the Maresca team. His performance with and without the ball is important to the team system and can play a variety of roles.
So, how does he compare to sports people? Well, he does look like a more complete forward.
|
Conrad Harder vs. Nicholas Jackson |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Statistics (per 90 minutes) |
Harder |
jackson |
|
Target |
0.45 |
0.56 |
|
Assist |
0.45 |
0.19 |
|
xG |
0.17 |
0.60 |
|
xAG |
0.17 |
0.12 |
|
progressive carry |
2.39 |
2.19 |
|
Progressive Pass |
1.96 |
1.31 |
|
Total shots on goal |
4.68 |
3.13 |
|
key pass |
1.52 |
1.06 |
|
Create the action of the shot |
2.39 |
2.94 |
|
Win the air duel |
2.17 |
0.56 |
|
Statistics taken from FB reference |
||
Both Hader and Jackson provided good levels of output and helped their teams improve. One thing both players have in common is their ability to carry the ball and run lanes for their team and therefore have the ability to create something from nothing, especially in transition.
One area where Harder excels compared to Jackson is winning aerial duels, winning 2.17 times per 90 minutes compared to just 0.56. Despite being just over 6ft tall compared to the 6ft 1in Jackson, the Blues target appears to offer more of a threat in the penalty area and in the air than the Senegal international, using his compact frame to initiate contact and win duels with defenders.
Hader is similar to Jackson in that he offers a complete set of tools that can connect deep, advance and help his team’s offense while also attacking the paint and providing output for his team.
Maresca might welcome that type of player, bringing in another forward option to challenge, perhaps even Jackson, while also providing some additional aerial threat.
