Chelsea suffered a disappointing defeat to Flamengo in the Club World Cup, despite opening the scoring in the first half.
The Blues were still leading until the 62nd minute, but then three unanswered goals from the Brazilian side saw them secure all three points.
With the score 2-1 in favour of Flamengo, Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson, who had only been on the field for four minutes, saw red after a dreadful challenge on Lucas Ayrton.
It opens the door for Liam Delap to cement his place as the club’s main attacking option, but what now for Jackson?
Nicolas Jackson’s future at Chelsea is unclear
Last season, Jackson could only manage 13 goals across 36 matches for the Stamford Bridge side in all competitions.
Injuries may have played their part in this disappointing campaign, but it is no wonder that Maresca signed Delap and is looking for other centre-forward options.
Nicolas-Jackson-Chelsea
Aston Villa are seemingly keen on making a move for the Senegal international, and, given his poor form of late, it might be a deal Enzo Maresca is keen on getting done.
According to Transfermarkt, Jackson is valued at €50m (£43m), and it remains to be seen how much money the Blues would demand to allow him to leave the club this summer.
Nicolas Jackson's PL stats with Chelsea
Metric
Goals
Assists
Shots per game
Big chances created
Goal conversion percentage
Via Sofascore
Delap could be an ideal long-term option for the Italian amid the interest in Jackson. But did the Stamford Bridge outfit sell someone a few years ago who could have slotted into Maresca’s side with ease?
Chelsea must rue selling Kai Havertz
Havertz joined the Blues in 2020 and played a key role in the club winning their second Champions League title in 2021, scoring in the final against Manchester City.
The German international even netted in the final of the Club World Cup a few months later, which shows that he turned up in the big moments. His time in London saw the forward register 48 goal contributions – 32 goals and 16 assists in 139 games.
Arsenal's Kai Havertz with manager Mikel Arteta after being substituted
After three seasons with the club, he was sold to Arsenal in 2023 and has since emerged as a key player under Mikel Arteta.
Indeed, he was even dubbed “magnificent” by talent scout Jacek Kulig upon his move to the Emirates, and he has lived up to the hype with his uptick in form for Arsenal.
42 goal contributions in just 87 games at the Gunners show he made the right move in leaving Chelsea, but it must be a sale that the club regrets.
Now, according to Transfermarkt, his valuation stands at €65m (£57m), and this has soared since his last Chelsea valuation in 2023, which was €55m (£47m), which shows that he has taken his game to another level in North London.
The former Bayer Leverkusen forward is thus valued higher than Jackson, and if he can continue his fine form throughout the 2025/26 campaign with Arsenal, this value will rise even further as he continues to shine in a red shirt.
Arsenal's Kai Havertz reacts
In this regard, Maresca would love to be able to call on someone like Havertz ahead of the club’s first Champions League campaign in a couple of seasons.
Chelsea have sold a few players prematurely over the years, but Havertz must be the one they regret the most.
Nicolas-Jackson-Chelsea-Club-World-Cup Related
Not just Jackson: 5/10 flop must never play for Chelsea again after the CWC
Chelsea were beaten 3-1 by Flamengo in their second game of the Club World Cup.