When Chelsea spent £30million to sign a 22-year-old forward who had been playing as a striker for six months in the summer of 2023 it was not expected that their recruitment in the position for the first team would be done. By the time the window closed it turned out that was exactly what was going to happen.

Although Christopher Nkunku had also arrived - joining for £52million from RB Leizig in a deal that had been finalised almost 12 months earlier - there was no direct competition signed for Nicolas Jackson. That wasn't always the way it looked like playing out.

During the window, Mauricio Pochettino's first and only summer in charge, it wasn't for the want of trying. Victor Osimhen was linked after leading Napoli to the Serie A title. Viktor Gyokeres came onto the radar having fired Sporting CP to the domestic title in Portugal, himself.

Jackson, though, made a positive early impression. His pre-season performances got the attention of Chelsea fans. Pochettino pleaded very publicly for some senior support for the former Villarreal man but it wasn't forthcoming. Jackson, then, entered the season as the focal point, lacking any true backup when Nkunku suffered an injury on the eve of the season.