Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Nicolas Jackson’s future at Chelsea remains in doubt. The Blues need to sell players, and Jackson is a possible candidate to join Trevoh Chalobah in leaving the club before the deadline.
When Pep Chavarria’s deal is announced, Chelsea will have spent more than £350m on new signings. The left-back will be Chelsea’s 11th new arrival, with five deals agreed before Xabi Alonso was appointed.
Since Alonso was made manager, Chelsea have signed Morgan Rogers, Marco Palestra, Danny Welbeck, Jordan Henderson and Maxence Lacroix, with Chavarria expected to be announced early this week.
Chalobah’s departure takes Chelsea’s incoming cash from player sales to a total of around £150m so far, not including the obligation fee for Alejandro Garnacho or the compensation received for Enzo Maresca.
Without the influx of European cash, Chelsea need to sell more players to balance the books, and Jackson is among the group of fringe players that Alonso may have to offload over the course of the next month.
The moment Jackson will have convinced Alonso he should stay
Aston Villa are interested in £65m-rated Jackson, though the Midlands side will be unable to sign the Senegal ace on loan. The presence of Garnacho on loan at Villa Park prevents Villa from doing a loan.
Chelsea v Juventus - Pre-Season Friendly
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Plenty of other clubs have been linked, too. But for now, Jackson remains at Chelsea, and he started on Sunday afternoon against Malaysian champions Johor Darul Ta’zim. The striker played in a new role.
It was almost the no.10 role, playing off Liam Delap – who arguably enjoyed one of his best performances in a Chelsea shirt. Jackson’s versatility was on full show in front of Alonso, as the two sides drew 3-3.
But towards the end of the first half, there was a moment that will have surely convinced Alonso he can be an asset at Chelsea next season and deserves to stay. Picking the ball up on the left, he turned quickly.
Xavi Alonso, Manager of Chelsea
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
He drove with the ball and played it around a defender into Delap with a perfectly weighted pass. Delap missed the chance, bobbling it wide, but the ammunition provided to him could not have been better.
Why the pass will convince Alonso that Jackson has to stay
One through ball should not be enough to convince Alonso alone. But it is the fact that in that moment, Jackson proved he can be an effective no.10, and that means he offers versatility to Alonso in attack.
Delap can only play up top, and the same goes for Danny Welbeck, Marc Guiu and Emmanuel Emegha. Jackson can play as a 10, and reports suggest Chelsea even think Jackson does a job on the left flank.
That pass is a symbol of Jackson’s versatility; it proves he can remain effective while playing in that role, and that ability to play in numerous roles should convince Alonso that Jackson deserves to stay put.