Darren Bent praises Nicolas Jackson’s impressive revival at Aston Villa

Former England international Darren Bent has praised Nicolas Jackson for his impressive resurgence at Aston Villa, insisting the Senegalese striker has rediscovered his best form under manager Unai Emery.

Jackson has enjoyed an excellent start to life at Villa Park following his arrival on loan, quickly establishing himself as an important figure in Emery’s attacking setup.

The 25-year-old has started all nine of his Premier League appearances this season, scoring six goals and providing one assist as he continues to make a strong impression in English football.

His impressive performances have also extended to the UEFA Champions League, where he has registered three goals in four appearances, taking his overall contribution to nine goals across both competitions.

Jackson’s current form represents a significant turnaround after difficult spells at Chelsea and Bayern Munich, where he struggled to establish himself and eventually found himself surplus to requirements.

However, Bent believes Emery’s influence has been instrumental in bringing the best out of the forward, pointing to their previous working relationship at Villarreal as an important factor behind his resurgence.

Speaking about Jackson’s transformation, the former Tottenham Hotspur striker also questioned Chelsea’s decision to allow the Senegal international to leave, arguing that his work rate, pace and ability to find dangerous positions made him a valuable asset.

“I think the manager, Unai Emery, has a big part to play in that. He knows Jackson really well from Villarreal and really likes him. I always found it really bizarre that Chelsea let him go,” Bent said.

“I always thought Chelsea needed to keep hold of him because, yes, he might miss a lot of chances and he’s not the most prolific, but he always gets into the right positions. He always works hard, and that pace he’s got is always going to be a threat.”

Bent further suggested that Chelsea could have benefited from retaining Jackson, particularly given the club’s attacking options and the injury absence of Joao Pedro.

He also highlighted the striker’s previous understanding with Cole Palmer, arguing that the England international produced some of his best numbers when playing alongside Jackson.

At Aston Villa, the Senegalese forward has wasted little time in making his presence felt, with Bent insisting his arrival has not resulted in any noticeable decline following Ollie Watkins’ departure.

Although he considers Watkins a better centre-forward in the long term, Bent believes Jackson’s performances have made the comparison between the two attackers increasingly interesting.

He also praised Jackson’s growing understanding with his teammates, particularly his ability to exploit spaces behind opposition defences, make intelligent attacking runs and contribute to the team’s overall play.

Beyond his movement and work rate, Bent believes the forward has made significant improvements in front of goal, showing greater composure and calmness when presented with scoring opportunities.

The former England international was particularly impressed by how quickly Jackson has adapted to Emery’s system, describing his contribution as outstanding.

“I think he’s been brilliant. I think, so far this season, you have to say Jackson’s been one of the bargains of the season, even though he’s on loan,” Bent added.

Jackson will now be looking to maintain his impressive form when Aston Villa face Sunderland in their next Premier League assignment.

A victory could see Emery’s side move into the league’s top six, providing further encouragement after a challenging start to the campaign.

For Jackson, the immediate priority will be to sustain his goalscoring form and continue proving his importance to Villa as he looks to put his difficult experiences at Chelsea and Bayern Munich firmly behind him.