Chelsea are facing a large chunk of the season without a recognised striker that could diminish their top four finish ambitions.
Blues head coach Enzo Maresca has revealed that Nicolas Jackson is set for around two months on the sidelines through injury.
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“We knew it was a muscle problem,” Maresca said before Friday’s clash at Brighton, live on talkSPORT. “He felt his reaction was quite good.
“We thought that it was not a big injury but he had a scan a few days ago. He will be around six to eight weeks [out].”
Jackson, who has scored nine goals for Chelsea this season, missed their 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Brighton last weekend.
His injury comes after the blow suffered by Marc Guiu late on against West Ham earlier in the month, with Maresca saying it’s a ‘bad injury’.
“Exactly the same [as Jackson]. A muscle problem,” he further clarified on Thursday as Chelsea fans await his next first-team selection.
talkSPORT.com has looked at the potential striker alternatives for the Blues, starting with their Premier League fixture against Brighton.
Christopher Nkunku
Nkunku was selected by Maresca to spearhead to Chelsea attack in last Saturday’s FA Cup defeat on the south coast.
The Frenchman struggled though as he had no shots on goal and just a single touch in the Brighton penalty area over 90 minutes.
However, he is Chelsea’s second-highest top scorer in all competitions this season on 13, just one behind Cole Palmer.
Nkunku is therefore one of their best talents in attack, although Maresca has admitted he’s more suited to playing behind the striker.
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“Probably the best moment from Christo for us was in pre-season,” he said in November.
“For me that was because he was playing in his position, which is as a no.10 behind the striker, between the lines.”
Nkunku remains a striker solution given Palmer’s success in attacking midfield, but would need to improve on Saturday’s performance.
Noni Madueke
Much of Madueke’s Chelsea career has been spent on the right wing and it’s a position he excelled in with the England U21s.
But with no strikers available for selection, the 22-year-old could be in line for a move further up the pitch in the middle of the attack.
Maresca was asked about the possibility of using one of his wingers up front and said: “Could be a solution.
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“Pedro [Neto], Noni or Tyrique [George] can try to be a solution [to play up front]. Jadon [Sancho] with a different set of skills.
“It’s not just about a nine. When you don’t have a proper nine you need to use a different kind of nine and choose how you want to play. You can’t be direct, you need more linking.”
When at PSV Eindhoven, Madueke led the attack on various occasions and scored goals for the Dutch giants in the role.
Maresca may still be keen to maximise his quality in his favoured right wing position, but he’s name he could still call upon if needed.
Shumaira Mheuka
Chelsea’s success with their Cobham academy stars is no secret and one of their current rising talents could be given a first-team look-in.
Mheuka currently stars in their U21 side and has scored seven goals this season, including an FA Youth Cup hat-trick against Merstham.
The 17-year-old made his senior debut for Chelsea as a substitute in November during their UEFA Conference League win at FC Astana.
Blues defender Tosin Adarabioyo previously praised the teenager and his ability when he said: “He’s a top talent.”
Adarabioyo added: “I’ve not see him play many games, but in training he has great ability with the ball at his feet.
“And from what I’ve heard he’s able to score a lot of goals, which is obviously an amazing quality to have in a striker.
“It’s very tough to have an out-and-out striker that scores many goals like that, so Shimi’s hopefully one of the players that can do that for us.”
Mheuka may not be fully involved against Brighton after playing 90 minutes in Chelsea’s FA Youth Cup defeat to Manchester United on Wednesday.
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Deivid Washington is another young option but he’s been linked with a loan to Santos ahead of the Brazil transfer deadline on February 28.
Chelsea could be left to rue their January window after failing to sign another striker ahead of the injuries to Jackson and Guiu.
Maresca still has other options at his disposal and his go-to selection could be made apparent on Friday night.
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