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Chelsea’s biggest issue last season was the inability to simply put the ball in the back of the net. Only four teams scored fewer Premier League goals than the Blues (38), with even relegated pair Leeds and Leicester netting more. Strengthening the frontline was always the priority for a west London side in need of a refresh this summer. Yet they had to strike a balance. Chelsea’s squad remains incredibly bloated, though the departures of N’Golo Kante and Kalidou Koulibaly have helped, at the very least, cut the wage bill. Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz, Edouard Mendy and Mason Mount are expected to follow the pair out of the Stamford Bridge exit as the squad is streamlined. We’re not yet in July but the Blues have at least made their first move to correct their goal issues: Christopher Nkunku has arrived from RB Leipzig on the back of a solid Bundesliga campaign that saw him net 16 times – no player in Germany’s top tier scored more. The 25-year-old won’t be the only forward to rock up in the capital, however, with Nicolas Jackson set to follow suit. Jackson was prepped for a move to Bournemouth in January, only to fail a medical, and was subsequently linked with a move to Aston Villa this summer – yet Chelsea have won the race for the 22-year-old, who scored 12 goals and provided four assists in LaLiga last season, a fine return for a player who registered just 1,603 minutes of game time. Of those 12 goals, 10 were scored since the turn of the year. Only former Real Madrid hitman Karim Benzema (12) bagged more in Spain’s top tier in the first half of 2023. Crucially, Jackson knows exactly where the goal is. Feed the Senegalese star and he’ll score. Of the 120 players to muster 25 or more shots, Jackson returned the best conversion rate (29.3 per cent) in the 22/23 LaLiga campaign. Despite a goal-shy season, Chelsea still averaged the eighth most key passes per game (9.9) in the Premier League, a return that can be improved upon, but a reasonable base nonetheless. In addition, the Blues ranked tenth for big chances created (57), yet in turn missed the sixth most (52). Kai Havertz was the biggest offender, missing 14 clear-cut goalscoring opportunities, but with the German set to leave for Arsenal there is room for a new striker at Stamford Bridge. Jackson, by contrast, performed superbly when the chances were laid out on a plate, returning a clear-cut conversion rate of 56.3 per cent, the best in Spain’s top flight last season. However, there is more to Jackson’s game than scoring goals. He’s not an old-fashioned No 9 but rather a modern-day forward, who looks to link the play as well as get on the end of chances. An average of 1.2 key passes per 90 minutes is a respectable average, while a pass success rate of 76.4 per cent from 17.9 passes per 90 are solid figures for a striker. With Mauricio Pochettino expected to use a 4-2-3-1 setup, he’ll need his leading frontman to work his way into the box and, where needed, hold up possession before laying the ball on for his teammates. Jackson, then, ticks the right boxes. Considering the exciting wingers at Pochettino’s disposal – who’ll undoubtedly benefit from a full pre-season in a settled environment under the Argentine’s watchful eye – and the possibility of Nkunku operating in the No 10 role as a second striker, Jackson’s willingness to bring others into play means Chelsea should quickly dwarf their 38-goal haul from last season. The Senegal star isn’t perhaps the same headline-stealing hitman in the form of Victor Osimhen that some supporters may crave, but then if Jackson is the ideal fit, is that really an issue? Chelsea will be landing a player who will benefit the current crop of attackers on the books at Stamford Bridge and, over the longer term, can become the complete centre-forward with the right coaching. Pochettino, after all, did turn Harry Kane into a world-beater. Read More Mateo Kovacic completes move from Chelsea to Manchester City Koulibaly exits Chelsea to become latest star joining Saudi Pro League Manchester United increase Mason Mount bid Chelsea owners buy stake in French team as part of multi-club ownership plans Robertson appreciative as Newcastle remember Tiote – Wednesday’s sporting social N’Golo Kante, the midfield miracle worker who changed football

At the beginning of the season, a mere 10 races ago, Lando Norris endured an opener of excruciating torment in Bahrain. With his stricken McLaren impacted by a “pneumatic pressure leak”, the Brit valiantly took the chequered flag in dead last after pitting an astonishing six times throughout the race. It was, simply, a shambles. But that now seems nothing but a distant memory, four months on in the safe haven of the British Isles. Most observers did not raise an eyebrow when McLaren announced a number of upgrades to their car ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix last week. It is the phase of the season where every team is changing parts in search of that extra tenth or two of speed. Usually, by way of natural progression, the improvement is gradual. Yet out of an abyss of doom to start 2023, the papaya have come storming back into contention. The signs were there in Austria when Norris qualified third on the grid. Race-pace on that occasion last week was his downfall. But this time, what a sparkling Silverstone weekend it proved to be for Norris and his team-mate Oscar Piastri. One-lap pace on a Saturday? Tick. Backed up by enhanced speed on Sunday? Another tick. If it wasn’t for a mid-race safety car, it would have been a first double podium since Monza two years ago for McLaren, with Piastri unfortunate to not grasp his first top-three in F1 after finishing fourth. But it was Norris who was the star of the show at Silverstone. On paper the slowest out of the British triumvirate, with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell sporting the might of Mercedes, cautious optimism was the talk of the day heading into the British Grand Prix. Saturday was a statement. Norris had top-tier pace throughout all three qualifying sessions and for a moment, it seemed he’d grabbed pole position before Max Verstappen, inevitably, snatched it from him. Still, a front-row start. And inspired by a record 160,000-strong crowd on Sunday, Norris reacted quicker at lights out, storming down the inside past the previously irrepressible Red Bull. Such was McLaren’s raw speed to start, Piastri also almost steered his way past Verstappen. But a McLaren was out in front: Lando Norris was leading the British Grand Prix. Yet there were still 52 full laps to complete. And while Norris could do nothing to defend against the might of the Red Bull DRS on lap five, the pace of the MCL60 – so named to celebrate 60 years since the team was founded by Bruce McLaren – remained impressive. Both Norris and Piastri, in scenes unfathomable a month ago, were keeping Mercedes, Ferrari and Aston Martin behind them with ease. But the mid-race safety car changed the complexion behind Verstappen. Hamilton benefited, leapfrogging Piastri, and was on quicker soft tyres compared to Norris’ hard compound. Right on the heels of his former team. But right then, lap 39, was the coming-of-age moment. Under pressure down the Wellington Straight, Norris positioned his car exquisitely on the inside of the racing line, with Hamilton surging around the outside. He remained inches in front around Brooklands and stayed cool down at Copse Corner, scene of that infamous Hamilton-Verstappen crash two years ago. A lap later, the same scenario presented the same result. Hamilton noted afterwards that the McLaren was like a “rocketship” in high-speed corners. This time at Copse, Norris was on the outside but stayed firm on the throttle, whizzing around in front and remaining ahead of the Mercedes. Hamilton never got so close again. A much-deserved and highly-impressive second place for Norris; his joint best-result in Formula 1. And although a first win for the 23-year-old remains elusive for now, McLaren’s pace – while particularly suited to this track, in juxtaposition to the next race in Hungary – was striking. Those positive steps, so long nothing but cliches rattled out in the media, have finally been taken by Zak Brown and his team at Woking. That top tier of four teams in F1 in 2023, with Aston Martin’s arrival at the start of the season, has briskly become five. Read More Max Verstappen storms to British Grand Prix victory with two Brits on the podium Toto Wolff admits Mercedes will soon have ‘no choice’ but to switch focus to next year ‘I laugh at the bad comments’: Lando Norris on dealing with online abuse and a ‘tough’ year on-track

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