Chelsea’s season remains in the balance. They are in a fight to qualify for the Champions League again. And in the competition itself, they have been handed a last-16 draw against holders PSG. A difficult task to say the very least.
No matter how this season ends, Chelsea will need to make additions in the summer. It is very clear that this squad is not good enough to compete with the very best in England and in Europe.
On the other hand, there could be some departures as well. Nicolas Jackson is someone whose future remains up in the air. He is currently away on loan at Bayern Munich.
Jackson had pushed through a move to Bayern Munich even though the club had wanted him to stay after Liam Delap’s injury. But his time in Bavaria has not gone according to plan. He is a rotational option at best. And there is little chance they will take up the clause to sign him permanently.
Nicolas Jackson’s Chelsea future in doubt as Aston Villa eye move
According to Football Insider, Aston Villa remain keen on Jackson ahead of the summer transfer window. Unai Emery is a big fan of the 24-year-old striker and has sanctioned a new move for him.
Jackson and Emery have worked together in the past. The Senegalese striker made 27 appearances under him at Villarreal. He scored and assisted thrice each. Those are not exceptional numbers, but it looks like he was able to make an impression on the manager.
Could Jackson return or is he set to leave again?
There have been some suggestions that Jackson could end up making a return to Chelsea. Enzo Maresca is no longer the manager. And this could be a fresh start for him at Stamford Bridge. Unless he ended up burning some bridges with the manner of his loan exit.
There are some doubts over the future of Liam Delap as well. He has scored three goals in 31 appearances for Chelsea. That is nowhere near good enough. His overall play has not been particularly impressive either. Jackson was definitely bringing a lot more to the team than the Englishman.
Chelsea have shown in the past that they can be ruthless and move on from new signings quickly if they don’t impress. Joao Felix. Kalidou Koulibaly. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Could Delap join that list of one-and-done BlueCo signings?
Another factor at play will be the arrival of Emmanuel Emegha. He was a standout for Strasbourg under Liam Rosenior. That could place him ahead of Jackson in the pecking order in the eyes of the manager.
Chelsea are believed to be interested in Morgan Rogers of Aston Villa. Could Jackson end up playing a part in that deal as well? There are a lot of interesting factors at play here.
