Osimhen, Delap or Sesko: Who should Chelsea sign to replace reckless Jackson?

Cameron Smith

• 12 May 2025 06:40 CDT
• 5 min read

Analysis

Nicolas Jackson’s reckless red card against Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon could be the reason why Chelsea miss out on Champions League qualification.

The Senegal international was sent off in the 35th minute of Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat to Eddie Howe’s side at St James’ Park after he flung an elbow at Sven Botman’s neck in a mindless act of what can only be described as idiocy in a match of crucial importance.

Current ETV

Nicolas Jackson

F (C)

Chelsea

Nicolas Jackson

F (C)

Chelsea

€66.2M

ETV Range

€59.6M - €72.8M

View full profile

The lack of a centre forward was glaringly obvious during the second-half, as Chelsea surprisingly created a number of chances with 10 men, and that fact will be amplified during their final two Premier League fixtures against Manchester United and Nottingham Forest.

With Jackson suspended and both Christopher Nkunku and Marc Guiu injured, Chelsea don’t have a single senior recognised striker available, despite their ludicrous spending under Clearlake Capital.

Pedro Neto filled in well as a makeshift centre forward earlier this year, but he doesn’t possess the predatory instincts of a natural number nine and Jackson’s red card could therefore come back to haunt Enzo Maresca if Chelsea fail to beat both Man Utd and Nottingham Forest.

Jackson’s ill-discipline has seen him slammed by Chelsea fans online and he may well have already played his final match as the club’s first choice striker as a result.

The Blues are actively pursuing a new centre forward ahead of the summer transfer window and with Jackson unable to be relied upon from a goalscoring or discipline perspective, the west London giants will no doubt intensify their push to bring a striker to Stamford Bridge this year.

But, who should they sign?

Which striker should Chelsea sign this summer?

A number of centre forwards have been linked with Chelsea in recent months, although three names appear to stand out: Victor Osimhen, Liam Delap and Benjamin Sesko.

Alternative targets have been identified, but those three players have been the most heavily linked with a Stamford Bridge switch and all three have both pros and cons.

Victor Osimhen

Chelsea will almost certainly be forced to break their wage structure in order to bring Osimhen to the club this summer.

The Nigeria international is demanding an annual salary of at least €12 million and this poses a major problem for the Blues, who have implemented a new wage policy over the past few years.

However, Osimhen is a proven goalscorer in multiple European leagues and his game appears perfectly-suited to the Premier League.

He will likely cost €75m, but Osimhen would provide Chelsea with a consistent goalscorer capable of firing them to major honours - something they haven’t had since the departure of Diego Costa.

Liam Delap

Delap has enjoyed a productive debut campaign at Ipswich and he has proven himself as a reliable Premier League performer.

Furthermore, he has all the hallmarks of a player who would improve if he joins a club playing at a higher level, and he is available for just €36m thanks to a relegation clause.

However, he is still only 22 years old and while he has the physical attributes to provide Chelsea with a strong focal point, there are doubts over whether he is actually a more reliable finisher than Jackson at present.

Benjamin Sesko

There are a number of similarities between Benjamin Sesko and Delap, but the former is set to cost around double the price.

The Slovenia international has bags of potential, his physical size would suit the Premier League and he could lead Chelsea’s forward line for years to come.

However, he arguably isn’t yet a consistent finisher inside the penalty area and his goals per 90 tally in the Bundesliga has dropped fairly significantly from 0.82 last season to 0.49 this year.

Osimhen is the more expensive but proven option, and if Chelsea want to challenge for the Premier League title next season, he is the striker they should pursue, regardless of his salary demands.

However, if the Blues would prefer to sign a younger option with lower wage expectations, bringing in Delap or Sesko would suffice.

Football transfer news headlines today

Jadon Sancho BOMBSHELL: Chelsea to pay Man Utd penalty fee

Arsenal submit offer for Chelsea wonderkid - Romano

Nicolas Jackson: Has Newcastle red card confirmed the end of his Chelsea career?

Alejandro Garnacho: Man Utd take big decision over ‘FRUSTRATED’ star that will interest Chelsea

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:

•Google Play

•App Store