This report was originally written in July 2022 for our 10k followers special which you can find here.
Nicolas Jackson is a 21-year-old Senegalese forward playing for Villarreal. Throughout this season he trained with the first team, even though he played most of his games for the B team. Nicolas helped Villarreal B get back into Spain’s second division and even saw some playing time in the first team. The right footed forward can play as a winger or in a more central position of the attack.
The Senegalese youngster that stands at 186 cm makes good use of his height to win aerial duels and is also an attacking threat inside the opposition’s box. However, he still needs to be more consistent with his approaches and technique. Nicolas Jackson is very energetic and has good stamina that combined with his pace and acceleration make him very dangerous on the counter. Despite his height he shows great balance and is strong in attacking duels.
Nicolas can link-up with his teammates well, showing great flair while doing so. He has great receiving and passing skills and can assist teammates nicely. In addition, Nicolas Jackson is excellent on the ball demonstrating dribbling and ball controlling qualities that allow him to overcome his opponents. He is very strong and unpredictable in 1v1’s even when in tight spaces under pressure. However, he sometimes gets too carried away and needs to improve his decision-making regarding this aspect. Nicolas shows a decent finishing technique, although he still has some room for improvement and needs to work on his weaker foot.
Nicolas Jackson makes great runs in behind, showing great tactical awareness. He isn’t caught offside many times by making use of his speed and acceleration power to be successful. Nicolas also shows good vision while connecting with his teammates, even though he could improve his execution near the final third.
Concluding, Nicolas Jackson has the potential to become a very complete forward. He needs to improve his finishing technique and link-up play near the opposition’s box. In addition, if he becomes a bigger aerial threat inside the box, he will become a very complete forward. He has been doing a very good job for Villarreal B and caught Unai Emery’s attention, having earned some playing time in the first team. I think that Nicolas Jackson has the potential to break through and establish himself in Villarreal’s main squad. Nicolas has the qualities to succeed in Spain’s first division, even if it means spending more time improving in LaLiga2.
Target Scouting 
1 comment