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News
- 30 minutes ago
The Nicolas Jackson dilemma: Chelsea face HUGE summer transfer question
Cameron Smith
- Updated: 19 Feb 2026 09:56 GMT
- 6 min read
Analysis
Nicolas Jackson’s Chelsea career looked to be completely over last summer.
After two high-profile red cards in the space of just four matches against Newcastle United and Flamengo at the end of the season, a notable dip in form in front of goal and the arrivals of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap, he was suddenly third in the pecking order.
The Senegal international was subsequently cast aside by Enzo Maresca and joined the infamous ‘Bomb Squad’ at the club’s training facility ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.
Current ETV
Nicolas Jackson
F (C)
Nicolas Jackson
F (C)
Bayern
ETV Range
€49.9M - €60.9M
Despite this, interest from Manchester United and Newcastle failed to materialise in a transfer, while numerous clubs in Serie A were unable to match Chelsea’s demands.
Eventually, the Blues struck an agreement with German giants Bayern Munich over an initial loan deal worth €16.5 million. Vincent Kompany’s side would also be required to make the deal permanent for €65m if Jackson played over 45 minutes in at least 40 matches across the Champions League and Bundesliga.
The transfer almost collapsed, however, when Chelsea attempted to block the deal following a hamstring injury suffered by Delap in late August. Jackson simply refused to return to west London and the Blues were instead forced to recall Marc Guiu from his loan spell at Sunderland.
However, at Bayern, Jackson has been fairly underwhelming. He has unsurprisingly played second fiddle to Harry Kane and after scoring just five goals in 22 matches so far this season, they have decided against signing him on a permanent deal this summer.
Jackson is therefore poised to return to Chelsea in July and the Blues face a major transfer decision.
Of course, the Senegal star was swatted aside by Maresca last summer, but new boss Liam Rosenior could feasibly have a different outlook on whether he could be a useful asset for 2026-27.
Analysis: Should Chelsea sell Nicolas Jackson this summer?
The case to sell Jackson is an easy one. He has been a major disappointment at Bayern, he was known for his erratic finishing at Chelsea and he isn’t at the level of Joao Pedro.
Furthermore, Emmanuel Emegha will bolster the Blues’ ranks when he arrives from Strasbourg in July and his form over the past 12 months has undoubtedly been better than Jackson’s.
But, a far more nuanced discussion is required.
After all, despite his flaws, Jackson was a useful servant during his time at Chelsea and results dipped massively during his absence through injury in early 2025. He occupies centre-backs well and while his goalscoring record isn’t superb, he is a nuisance to defend against.
His physical attributes are well suited to the Premier League and he also has an excellent relationship with Cole Palmer. In fact, the space created by Jackson’s movement played a key and underrated role in Palmer’s immaculate form during his first 18 months as a Chelsea player.
The biggest question regarding Jackson’s future actually relates to Delap. He delivered his best overall performance in a Chelsea shirt versus Hull City in the FA Cup last Friday, when ignoring his glaring first-half miss, but his performance level simply hasn’t been good enough this season.
At Ipswich Town, he announced himself as one of the most promising attackers in the Premier League, but he has massively suffered after moving to Chelsea. Delap thrived in Ipswich’s transitional attacking system last term and he has been largely unable to adapt to playing against low blocks every single week at Chelsea.
His close control has been lacking and his movement inside the 18-yard box hasn’t been up to scratch. At this moment, it’s clear that Jackson is a better fit than Delap for Chelsea.
Furthermore, with Emegha set to arrive as a back-up option to Pedro, there is only really space for one of Jackson or Delap in Rosenior’s squad next season.
The aforementioned Guiu will likely be sent out on loan, perhaps to sister club Strasbourg, and Chelsea must then decide whether Jackson or Delap are worthy of being the third choice option available to Rosenior in attack.
STATS
Liam Delap
F (C), AM (R)
Chelsea
Liam Delap
F (C), AM (R)
Chelsea
In all honesty, if the summer transfer window opened tomorrow, Jackson would be the ideal candidate, especially as he could also be used as an emergency left winger. Delap therefore has three months to stake his claim and secure his place in Chelsea’s first-team squad next year.
If his performance level fails to improve, the Blues simply must bring Jackson back into the fold. But, if Delap establishes himself as a reliable asset for the remainder of the campaign, the Senegal star is likely to be sold.
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