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Alonso gives Nico Jackson another Chelsea chance – it could be the best decision he ever makes

30 May 2026 09:03 BST | 5 min read

Nicolas Jackson, Xabi Alonso, Chelsea

Robin Bairner

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Accredited football journalist and editor covering the game since 2006

Xabi Alonso is approaching his role as Chelsea manager with an open mind and is ready to give Nicolas Jackson another chance at the club – and the payoff could be enormous.

One of the biggest issues that Chelsea faced over the course of their disappointing 2025/26 season was a lack off efficiency in attack. Joao Pedro shone, but beyond the Brazilian, there was little to commend the Blues going forward.

Jackson spent the season on loan at Bayern Munich, and will be given the opportunity to impress Alonso back at Stamford Bridge, the Daily Mail reports. It could be a game-changing decision from the former Real Madrid boss, with the potential of the 24-year-old enormous.

Nicolas Jackson: The story so far

Chelsea signed Jackson in the summer of 2023 in a €37 million deal from Villarreal. He cut a frustrating figure in West London, scoring 24 Premier League goals in two seasons that were as notable for his lack of discipline as his finishing.

Eager to offload him, the Blues sent him to Bayern last summer on a loan deal. The German giants snapped him up to be a backup to Harry Kane, and he delivered admirably, scoring eight times in 1003 minutes of Bundesliga action and three in 313 Champions League minutes. It was a solid performance.

With his loan up, Jackson is jetting back to Chelsea this summer, where he remains under contract for another seven years.

Internally, there is still a strong belief that he can make something of his career at the Premier League side, and with Enzo Maresca gone, he will have his chance to impress Alonso at pre-season.

Nicolas Jackson and Joao Pedro's respective stats from their Premier League debut seasons

Alonso pressed into a decision

Chelsea will be forced into sales in attack. They already have two No.9s on their books in the form of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap, while Emmanuel Emegha is arriving from Strasbourg this summer.

Delap appears to be the player likeliest to be dropped. He managed only one Premier League goal last season and does not have the versatility to play wide. The Englishman is also on a slightly shorter contract, albeit his deal still has five years to run.

One of the world’s best?

Interestingly, Jackson is regarded by data analytics firm SciSports as one of the best pure centre-forwards in the world. This conclusion comes from an analysis of hundreds of in-game data points which are combined to give a ‘SciSkill’ score.

Harry Kane comes out best with 138.0, marginally ahead of Erling Haaland at 136.8, but in this analysis, Jackson arrives in fifth with 120.5.

Top 5 centre-forwards in the world (SciSports)

Player Club SciSkill

Harry Kane Bayern 138.0

Erling Haaland Man City 136.8

Robert Lewandowski Barcelona 122.2

Kylian Mbappe Real Madrid 121.8

Nicolas Jackson Chelsea (on loan at Bayern) 120.5

Indeed, the Senegalese striker’s level has improved significantly since he moved to Bayern. His SciSkill has leapt to 120.5 over the last six months. This is described as a period of ‘rapid improvement’ in the striker’s play.

Over this time, he has leapt above other leading forwards in the ratings of the analysts, including Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez, who has had a price tag of well more than €100 million hung around his neck amid interest from Arsenal, PSG and Barcelona.

Alonso’s instinct to give Jackson another shot at Chelsea therefore proves well-founded, with the decision a low-risk move that could pay off extravagantly.