Bournemouth owner 'apologises' for not signing new Chelsea star
FT Desk
- 26 Aug 2023 17:15 BST
- 3 min read
Bournemouth owner Bill Foley has revealed that he passed up on the chance to sign a player now making waves at Chelsea.
Nicolas Jackson moved to Stamford Bridge this summer from Villarreal and has wasted no time in endearing himself to his new club.
The Senegal international has looked sharp this season even while playing out of position as a makeshift centre-forward, and scored his first goal in Friday's 3-0 rout of Luton Town.
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But it could all have been so different for Jackson had fate not intervened.
According to Foley, Bournemouth could have signed him back in January but balked after unsatisfactory medical reports.
"Nicolas Jackson, we tried to get him this year, we had him last year but he didn't pass his medical, I believe we made a mistake and I'm sorry we didn't get him," Foley told TNT Sports.
'One of the greatest'
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino, meanwhile, could not hide his delight at seeing Jackson hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge.
"We knew Nicolas Jackson’s quality when we signed him, we saw that before. It is not that we ask him to run and press the ball, he is quality in the way he recovers the ball, but he also can finish," the Argentine beamed after Friday's victory.
"It is only a matter of time, once he settles into the Premier League, he will show it more.
"Nicolas Jackson has top quality. I have no doubt that he can become one of the greatest strikers in the Premier League."
