‘Chelsea to abandon Joao Pedro interest after Nicolas Jackson controversies’
Chelsea may be forced to step away from their pursuit of Brighton attacker Joao Pedro due to concerns around Nicolas Jackson.
The Blues striker endured a mixed 2024/25 campaign in which he was hampered by issues around both form and fitness at times.
His season ended in disappointing style, with Jackson sent off for an elbow on Newcastle’s Sven Botman leading to a ban for the final two Premier League games of the season and the first of the next campaign.
But even with the season now over, things have not got any better for the 24-year-old as he looks to turn things around with his position under threat from new signing Liam Delap.
Nicolas Jackson sees red at the Club World Cup
On Friday (20 June), Jackson was sent off again for Chelsea and subject to calls for a long ban, following a reckless tackle just four minutes after being brought on as his side faced Flamengo in the Club World Cup.
Enzo Maresca‘s side would lose that game to the Brazilian giants 3-1, putting their place at the competition under threat heading into their final group game.
Beyond that, the fact those two red cards have come in quick succession, with the striker unable to have any complaints about either, means Chelsea will be growing concerned about his disciplinary reliability.
As a result, the club may now be having to reconsider their own pursuit of one summer target in the form of Pedro.
Chelsea would be taking major risk with Joao Pedro
Right now, the Stamford Bridge club could be in a strong position to take advantage of their apparent interest the Brighton attacker.
It has been suggested that Newcastle are concerned Pedro is stalling on committing to their offer as he would rather move to Chelsea in order to live in London.
But given how things went for the Brazilian this season, it could be a big gamble for the Blues to combine him with Jackson.
Pedro himself had notable discipline issues over the course of the campaign, with the Brighton attacker lucky not to be sent off for swinging an elbow at Brentford midfielder Yegor Yarmoliuk.
He also managed to avoid a red card after appearing to intentionally collide with Ipswich goalkeeper Christian Walton just a few weeks later.
As a result, referees will no doubt be keeping an even closer eye on the 23-year-old next season to avoid a repeat of such incidents being missed.
When combined with the issues that are increasingly arising with Jackson, that could mean Chelsea would be sending out two players on a tightrope if they combine the pair next season.
In turn, that may leave them vulnerable to red cards and suspensions that would make it harder for Maresca and his team to improve upon the successes of the 2024/25 campaign.
With that in mind, Chelsea may well have been forced into a rethink over a latest big-money raid on Brighton.