Nicolas Jackson scored twice against Manchester City on Saturday as Aston Villa handed the Citizens their first defeat of the Premier League season, taking his tally to seven goals in 11 appearances under Unai Emery.

The 25-year-old striker’s rapid revival has prompted questions over Chelsea’s decision to let him leave. Jackson is working with Emery again after the pair previously spent time together at Villarreal, and his performances suggest he has become a central figure in Aston Villa’s attack.

His latest display also offers a striking comparison with Ollie Watkins, the club’s former forward and an idol at Villa Park who left this summer.

Jackson has recorded 19.6 sprints per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season, compared with Watkins’ 13.8 in 2025-26. That represents 5.8 more sprints per match.

The difference is not simply explained by Jackson covering more ground. His average distance is 10.4km per 90 minutes, almost identical to Watkins’ 10.3km. Jackson is therefore running at a higher intensity rather than merely covering a greater total distance.

He is also producing more successful dribbles. Jackson averages 2.5 per 90 minutes, the best figure among all current Premier League forwards. Watkins finished the 2025-26 season with 0.8 per 90, ranking 15th.

Jackson’s expected assists figure is equally notable. His xA of 0.9 places him fourth among Premier League forwards, while Watkins ended last season 17th in that category.

There were sporting reasons behind Jackson’s departure from Chelsea. Across two seasons under Mauricio Pochettino and Enzo Maresca, he underperformed his expected goals total of 6.9. Since the start of the current season under Emery, however, Jackson has exceeded his expected goals by two.

The clearest indication of the difference in their playing styles comes in the dribbling figures. Jackson averaged 2.5 successful dribbles per 90 minutes under Emery, compared with 0.7 under Maresca - 3.5 times fewer.

Jackson has also contributed 22 assists in 174 appearances for Villarreal, Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Aston Villa, equating to one every eight matches. During his two seasons at Chelsea, he ranked eighth and 10th among forwards for expected assists. He is now fourth after only seven Premier League matches for Villa.

The numbers still need to be sustained across a full season. Jackson has never scored in more than three consecutive Premier League matches during his 72 appearances in the competition.

But his current form raises an obvious question: if he could produce 15 goals and assists in 30 Premier League matches under a manager who did not fully believe in him, what might he achieve under a coach who has made him central to the project?