Mikel believes that the primary victim of Jackson's absence is Chelsea's star creator, Palmer. He argued that the relationship between the two was vital for the team's success last season, noting that the space Jackson created remains unfilled while claiming summer signing Liam Delap has not hit the required level.
"Nobody is giving us that link-up play. Was he scoring enough? Maybe not," Mikel said. "But was he giving his all for the club? Absolutely. My only issue was competition. I felt he wasn’t patient enough to stay and fight for his place. If he were here now, he would be the main man because he is certainly better than Liam Delap, who still needs to improve his game."