Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson must have gone through every emotion in the last 24 hours.
All the transfer noise has pointed towards Nicolas Jackson leaving Chelsea and securing a loan move to German giants Bayern Munich. However, there has been a remarkable late twist in this summer saga.
It was reported that Chelsea and Bayern agreed to Jackson’s loan move, with the centre-forward expected to complete a switch to the Allianz Arena.
In Chelsea’s 2-0 Premier League win against Fulham on Saturday afternoon, Liam Delap went off injured with a hamstring problem. Blues head coach Enzo Maresca explained that Delap could miss six to eight weeks with his hamstring injury, so the club have since reacted by putting the brakes on Jackson’s exit.
According to The Athletic, Chelsea have told Bayern they would no longer allow Jackson to join them on loan and have asked the player to return to help fill the Delap void.
Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson arriving ahead of the Conference League final.
Photo by Christian Kaspar-Bartke – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Nicolas Jackson is furious
It should come as no surprise to hear reports that the Chelsea-owned player is angry with a late change to his future.
According to The Evening Standard, Jackson had already landed in Munich to undergo a medical with the Bundesliga heavyweights. He’s now been told he must come home, though.
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The report described the Chelsea centre-forward as ‘furious’ and he’s reluctant to return.
From Chelsea’s perspective, Jackson is a ready-made alternative to Delap for the next couple of months, but to cancel his move so late in the day feels harsh on the player. Will he have the motivation to come back and help Maresca’s side out after all the drama?
Speaking in a recent interview, Maresca insisted Chelsea have several options at striker. There has to be question marks around the squad building because one injury to Delap appears to have caused panic.
Maresca claimed Jackson was free to leave after excluding him in the opening weeks of the season, but everything has changed so suddenly.
Nicolas Jackson arrives ahead of Chelsea against Tottenham in the Premier League.
Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
A huge test for Nicolas Jackson
Without a doubt, it’s going to be a bitter pill for Jackson to swallow.
We’ve always thought of the Senegal international as a great professional. Even when he’s had criticism for not being a clinical goalscorer, he’s always worked tirelessly and showed a fantastic attitude for two years as a Chelsea player.
The reality is he’s still on the club’s books until 2033, so they are well within their right to keep him after Delap’s injury blow.
Chelsea planned to reintegrate Jackson to their squad if he failed to land a move this summer. We sense that it will be a lot tougher to do now, but can the parties come to an agreement that allows him to leave in January?