Chelsea must grovel to ‘angry’ Nicolas Jackson after shock transfer U-turn, insists Le Tissier
Chelsea are facing a tough task in reintegrating Nicolas Jackson back into Enzo Maresca’s squad after his loan move to Bayern Munich was cancelled.
That’s according to former Southampton striker Matt Le Tissier, who exclusively shared his opinion with Football Insider.
The forward had become surplus to requirements at Chelsea, after Maresca signed Joao Pedro and Liam Delap this summer.
However, Delap suffered a hamstring injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham on Saturday, 30 August, prompting Jackson’s loan move to be cancelled.
Chelsea face a tricky situation with Nicolas Jackson according to Matt Le Tissier
This article contains exclusive comment from former Southampton and England striker Matt Le Tissier.
After seeing his move to Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich cancelled, Jackson was left furious with Chelsea.
Meanwhile, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Le Tissier said: “A huge blow for Chelsea. Liam Delap injuring his hamstring after just 12 minutes of the game.
“That’s unusual, because normally with hamstring strain, it’s when the muscles get a little bit fatigued, and that happened so early on in the game, it must be a little bit concerning.
“I think he might be out for up to eight weeks, which is not ideal given that he’s just arrived at the club, and that’s going to hamper him a little bit.
“But, Nicolas Jackson, on the back of this, Nicolas Jackson has been called back, or, before his loan move has been completed, has come back from Bayern Munich.
“Now he is an angry man. He has been almost forced out of Chelsea. Chelsea have said for quite a few weeks that they didn’t want him, were willing to listen to offers for him.
“All of a sudden, they’ve now got to go back grovelling to him, and asking him to play in the team.
“This is going to be a bit tricky to reintegrate Jackson into the team if his attitude isn’t right.
“Chelsea have got to hope that Jackson is a consummate professional and will step back into the role of being first-choice centre forward for a few weeks, and it’s going to be really interesting to see how the manager deals with that situation and that could be key to whether Chelsea could be challenging or not this season in that top four.”
Enzo Maresca needs Joao Pedro to continue performing
Football Insider verdict
Le Tissier is right to outline that it will be difficult to reintegrate Jackson into their squad after previously deeming that they no longer needed the 24-year-old.
| Nicolas Jackson stats | Premier League 2024/25 |
| Appearances | 30 |
| Goals | 10 |
| Assists | 5 |
Therefore, with the Senegal international left angered by recent developments at Stamford Bridge, Maresca needs Pedro to continue his rich vein of form.
Pedro scored as Chelsea beat Fulham 2-0 on Saturday, 30 August, and now has five goals in six competitions across all competitions for the Blues.
To avoid having to depend on the unsettled Jackson, Maresca needs the former Brighton man to continue producing the goods in the Premier League.
Chelsea have enjoyed a strong start to the Premier League season, winning two of their opening three games, and will be desperate to retain that momentum after the international break.
Furthermore, the West London outfit begin their Champions League campaign next month, with a tough away trip to Bayern Munich awaiting them on 17 September.