Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink says Chelsea were right not to sign ‘unconvincing’ £64m star

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink believes Chelsea were right to not reignite their interest in Victor Osimhen in this summer’s transfer window.

Osimhen came close to joining Chelsea last summer but the Premier League side were unable to agree a deal with Napoli for the striker.

The Nigerian international enjoyed a superb season on loan at Galatasaray last season, winning the double with the Turkish side, but his future is still up in the air following his return to Naples.

Galatasaray remain keen on bringing Osimhen back this year, while the 26-year-old has reportedly turned down lucrative offers to move to Saudi Arabia.

Many expected Chelsea to resume their interest in Osimhen, who has a £64m release clause in his contract, but the Blues instead opted to sign Liam Delap from Ipswich Town to bolster their forward options.

And former Chelsea striker Hasselbaink believes Enzo Maresca’s side made the right decision as he backed the inconsistent Nicolas Jackson to hit his stride.

Asked whether Chelsea should have signed Osimhen on John Obi Mikel’s ‘Obi One Podcast’, Hasselbaink said: I know he’s your countryman but I’m not convinced of Osimhen for the Premier League.

‘For Spain, for Italy – yes. For the Premier League? I’m not 100 per cent sure.

‘I really like Jackson,’ Hasselbaink continued. ‘Why? Because he brings a lot of energy to the team and people don’t see that.

‘The pressing from the front, the work-rate – all that kind of stuff is so important for a successful team.

‘Then he gets lots of chances. He needs to get better at finishing, but I’d rather have a striker who gets lots of chances than a striker who doesn’t get chances.

‘So first of all, he is getting chances, now we can work on his finishing and calmness and make him understand.

Let’s not forget before Villareal, he was playing nowhere. So he started at Villareal, and now he’s here and he’s still very young. So you can still improve him.’

Providing competition with Jackson is the aforementioned Delap, but former Chelsea defender Ashley Cole has urged fans to be patient with the 22-year-old, who scored 12 goals for Ipswich in what was his first top-flight campaign last season.

‘I think in this day and age, we’re a little bit harsh on the younger players. They need time to grow and they don’t need to be judged. I think it will take time for him to develop,’ Cole told talkSPORT.

‘‘It will take time for him to adapt to the way Chelsea want to play. Of course everyone wants these young players that go into new environments, new clubs to hit the ground running. But I think we have to be realistic.

‘Yes, the price tags also affect people’s perception, but again, we have to understand they’re still young.

‘Hopefully he hits the ground running like many players that move on to the big clubs, but I think we have to sometimes hold back a little bit and understand they are still kids.’

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