After Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson scored in a match against Wolves, he asked club legend Mikel to “shut up.” This was in response to Mikel’s previous criticism of Jackson. After Jackson’s reaction, Mikel also responded.
Mikel responded to this on a recent podcast: “I have great appreciation for his abilities as a footballer. I’ve always supported him. I didn’t say he was a bad player, I just think he needs to improve his ability to seize opportunities.”
He added: “Jackson is still young and needs experienced veterans to guide him to improve his level. We can see him working hard every week to get better. I hope to see African players succeed in the Premier League. Jackson joined a great club like Chelsea, which has had African legendary strikers like Drogba.”
Mikel continued: “I hope he performs well at Chelsea. If he does well, I will applaud him; if there are areas that need improvement, I will point them out frankly.”
“If he scores in every game, then I’m willing to ‘shut up.’ Do you get what I mean?” Mikel said with a laugh.
Prior to this, Mikel criticized Jackson after Chelsea lost to Manchester City: “Our performance wasn’t bad, and we created many scoring opportunities, but we couldn’t convert them into goals. That’s why I questioned Jackson’s ability to seize opportunities.”
He also emphasized: “I’m not trying to belittle him. I believe Chelsea needs a top striker who can consistently score goals, like Haaland of Manchester City, who has contributed 91 goals, an astonishing achievement.”
Jackson did not accept this, sharing a picture of himself scoring Chelsea’s fastest goal in the Premier League since 2017, and wrote: “Mikel, shut your mouth, stop talking nonsense, we Africans are killing each other.”
It’s worth noting that one reason Mikel repeatedly criticizes Jackson may be to promote his compatriot Osimhen joining Chelsea. Previously, Mikel stated: “I will do my utmost to ensure Osimhen joins Chelsea.”