One out on loan Chelsea star could do with a big second half of the seasonplaceholder image
One out on loan Chelsea star could do with a big second half of the season | AFP via Getty Images
One of Chelsea’s out on loan players faces an uncertain future beyond this season.
Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson appears to be facing an uncertain future as he struggles to make his presence felt in Germany. The Blues frontman saw his Stamford Bridge career collapse pretty unexpectedly after a solid couple of years in West London.
Jackson looked to be developing nicely, but a red card in a big game against Newcastle United seemed to switch the narrative surrounding him, and another red card in the FIFA Club World Cup saw Enzo Maresca mark the striker for exit.
Jackson ended up joining Bayern Munich on a season-long loan, and the deal initially had an obligation to buy stapled to it. Though, the deal that would have neared £60million had conditions that can no longer be met, so it is now, for all intensive purposes, a straight up loan deal.
Jackson has made 21 appearances across all competitions so far, scoring five and assisting three. Of his 12 Bundesliga outings, just five of them have been starts, and it seems unlikely Bayern will keep Jackson around beyond this season.
But at just 24 years of age, and having already proven he can score goals at the top level, Jackson is still likely to be a player top clubs consider signing, with Chelsea’s asking price likely to be the the main obstacle to any permanent deal.
The situation is not likely to arrive until the summer, with no indication that Bayern will seek a way out of the loan deal in January, but ahead of the summer, Jackson’s agent, Ali Barat, has been speaking to Fabrizio Romano about what his client’s future might hold.
We can assume Barat was specifically asked about the prospect of Jackson playing in Italy, given he was speaking to Romano, but in reply, he said: “Italian top clubs wanted him even before the Chelsea move, and last summer as well. Nico only wanted Bayern, we made it happen.” He added: “One day playing in Italy? For sure he’s attracted by Italian football.”
Jackson stay not out of the question
While Bayern’s use of Jackson may suggest a Jackson departure, it’s not out of the question that the forward will stay. Jackson is currently stuck behind Harry Kane, and there is no shame in that, but Kane is 32 years of age, and Bayern may feel as though Jackson can develop into a worthy replacement.
In fact, Kompany recently praised Jackson for his recent development. He said: “Harry has a level of consistency that is very impressive. Harry and Nicolas [Jackson] have a very good relationship in training. They always practice finishing together. Nicolas is developing further because he’s training with Harry. You can see that Harry feels comfortable in Munich – with his family and in this team. We have an absolute leader in him.”
Those comments suggest Kompany could yet ask to keep Jackson, but Bayern could move to reduce how much they pay for Jackson, given that pre-agreed fee is now essentially void, and if Chelsea want rid, they hold little leverage when it comes to agreeing a fee, as long as it’s a realistic one.
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