John Terry makes clear Chelsea striker transfer admission as Victor Osimhen hint dropped

John Terry has offered his verdict on Chelsea's search for a striker while also singing the praises of Nicolas Jackson. The Blues are expected to bring in a new addition up top in this summer's transfer window to help ease the load on the Senegal international.

Jackson was exceptional for the first few months of the 2024/25 season, but a hamstring injury arrived after he had already gone eight Premier League games without a goal. Since his return, Jackson has still struggled for direct goal contributions, but his impact has been clear.

A straight red card against Newcastle United very nearly ended Chelsea's Champions League hopes, but they still got the job done courtesy of two 1-0 victories.

Despite his struggles, Terry is quite clearly a big fan of Jackson. "I think Nico has been really good, firstly," he admitted to talkSPORT.

"When I watch him play, he's only one of a handful of strikers in the league that plays on the shoulder. As a defender, that's a nightmare it opens up space. I like Nico."

The Chelsea icon also gave his thoughts on the type of striker that his former club should be looking at signing this summer. "If you are looking at the next step, you need someone proven and who has scored goals in the Premier League," he added.

"Usually that's an experienced player but the owners are clear, they don't want to bring in someone of 29, 30 years of age on big money. It's a different model. I personally feel we need that."

Enzo Maresca and the club's sporting directors have numerous options to choose but

Benjamin Sesko, Viktor Gyokeres, Jonathan David, Hugo Ekitike and Victor Osimhen have all thrived elsewhere however, but there are perhaps only two that fit into what Terry wants.

At 26, both Osimhen and Gyokeres have several seasons at the elite level and can therefore provide Jackson with the help he needs as opposed to a player of a similar age to him joining.

Arsenal are firmly interested in the Sporting CP star