Jackson and Nkunku react to Ben Chilwell’s message as Chelsea exits loom
Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku have reacted to a new message from teammate Ben Chilwell amid uncertainty about all three players’ futures at Chelsea.
Chelsea are trying to clear out numerous outcasted members of their first-team squad this summer after spending big to bring in the likes of Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens and Liam Delap.
England international left-back Chilwell struggled for game-time under Enzo Maresca last term and so joined Crystal Palace on loan in January, where he helped the Eagles clinch silverware as they won the FA Cup in May.
Former scout Mick Brown recently told Football Insider that Leeds United are accelerating their plans to sign Chilwell, and he is set to be joined in leaving Stamford Bridge by French forward Nkunku.
Nkunku is keen on a move to Barcelona after two lacklustre years at Chelsea, and the arrivals of both Delap and Pedro could force another Blues striker exit with Football Insider recently revealing that Aston Villa are interested in signing Jackson this summer.
Chilwell aids charity in his local area
Chelsea’s main players are still away on holiday after their Club World Cup exploits, but Chilwell was not included in the travelling party to the USA, and so has been training individually and seemingly keeping himself busy with other projects.
The 28-year-old took to Instagram on Monday (21 July) to share an emotional post about his charity work in his hometown of Milton Keynes alongside a message that read: “Great weekend down at (Shay’s Smiles) super 7’s tournament this weekend…Thank you to everyone who came and made it such a special weekend and helped raise funds for such an important, special cause.”
Chilwell’s message was reacted to with likes from both Jackson and Nkunku, while Mason Mount, Dom Solanke, Trevoh Chalobah, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Fikayo Tomori were among those that also left likes on his post.
Chelsea should sell Nicolas Jackson over Nkunku
Football Insider verdict
Chelsea’s long list of recent signings has many definite hits and many definite misses, but it is tough to place Nkunku in said list, as he has struggled to impress but is still influential on the team two years on from his arrival.
His recent exploits against Benfica in the CWC were a clear example of that, as he came on as a late substitute in normal time and then poked Chelsea 2-1 in front after the game had gone to extra-time, leading them to eventually progress as 4-1 victors.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 62 | 18 | 5 |
Blues teammate Jackson had a poor tournament as he was sent off against Flamengo and saw Pedro and Delap impress in his absence, and there is a case to be made to keep Nkunku instead of the Senegalese international this summer.
The Frenchman is a more versatile player, as he can play in behind a striker and on either wing, as opposed to solely as a number nine, while it is believed to be “almost certain” that Chelsea will bid to sign Morgan Rogers if Villa make a move to sign Jackson.
With Rogers now a top target for the Blues [The Sun], selling Jackson could help the club make a huge signing, and so it does make more sense to let him leave over Nkunku this summer.