Chelsea have told Bayern Munich they have revoked permission for Nicolas Jackson to conduct a medical with them and have instructed the striker to return to London – having travelled to Germany to complete a loan move.
Sources have told BBC Sport that the 24-year-old is angry with the collapse of his initial £13m loan deal, and attempts are expected to be made to salvage it.
The decision was made after striker Liam Delap suffered a serious-looking hamstring injury in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Fulham on Saturday, with manager Enzo Maresca saying post match that he may be out for “six to eight weeks”.
It follows a remarkable whirlwind 24 hours in which Chelsea went from having four strikers to just one.
First Christopher Nkunku joined AC Milan permanently for £36m, then Jackson flew to Germany to complete his move, while Delap was injured after sprinting for a ball in the first half at Stamford Bridge.
That left the in-form Joao Pedro, who has five goals in five starts, as Chelsea’s last remaining striker.
When asked whether Jackson’s move could collapse after the match, Maresca said: “I just finished the game, came here and have no idea. We’re going to sit now and we’ll see. Honestly, I have no idea.
“When you have two strikers, it’s enough. When one of them is injured for different weeks, probably it’s not enough.”
Jackson’s agent and former Fulham striker Diomansy Kamara commented on a social media post on Saturday evening with the words: “The plane doesn’t go backwards… Munich.”
But as it stands, Nicolas Jackson will be wearing blue not red when Chelsea travel to Bayern Munich on Tuesday, 17 September in the Champions League.
Bayern Munich director of sport Max Eberl told Sky in Germany: “Chelsea have informed us that they want the player back after we reached an agreement yesterday and [permission] to conduct a medical.
“Now the situation is that the boy is in Munich and we have to send him back. That’s the current state of affairs, but I can’t look into the future.”
Former Premier League defender Stephen Warnock told Final Score: “I can understand the decision from Chelsea’s point of view. From a player’s point of view it’s not ideal.
“You’re in already in Munich, there is an excitement and a buzz. There is a feeling that you’re not wanted at one club but you are wanted as this other club so your confidence suddenly lifts, and then you have to go back to the one that doesn’t want you.
“Now this is an opportunity to go and stamp your mark back at Chelsea. He could go and be the star of the show at Chelsea – and what’s to say that they don’t go on and win some major trophies this season?
“He [Jackson] can change the narrative if he changes his mindset. It just depends on which way he wants to go.”
Is it a mistake to let both Nkunku and Jackson go?
Many Chelsea supporters were already asking the same question during the match, about whether it was too late to cancel Jackson’s loan move to Germany.
Tyrique George, a 19-year-old winger from the academy, replaced Delap at Stamford Bridge and gave a creditable display while out of position, but he too could leave Chelsea before deadline day.
On George, Maresca said: “Today we played more than one hour with Tyrique [George], and he did brilliant.”
It was ironic that Chelsea’s only fit striker, Joao Pedro, was himself filling in for star attacker Cole Palmer in his favoured number 10 position.
When George was picked, Maresca looked short of options with winger Jamie Gittens – signed from Dortmund for £48.5m over the summer – the only other attacker on his bench.
It is a remarkable situation given Chelsea have more than £300m worth of attackers in their squad.
However, Chelsea had decided against carrying three senior strikers because of Jackson’s desire not to be an emergency back-up, and with Nkunku having been unhappy at the club for more than six months.
Pedro Neto showed last season that he is capable of filling in on an emergency basis, with Palmer and George both having played as up-front in the past. Academy striker Shim Mheuka, 17, is also top scorer in the under-21s league with four goals in three matches.
Meanwhile, winger Alejandro Garnacho was sat in the directors’ box on Saturday before completing a £40m move from Manchester United. Chelsea are also closing in on a move for Brighton’s Facundo Buonanotte, who is capable of playing as a 10 or on the right wing.
Chelsea would have eight attacking players for four roles on the pitch after the two Argentine attackers arrive, with a well-stocked academy in behind them.
However, they must be suitably worried about Delap to have taken a shock decision to pull the plug on Jackson’s move, at least for now, and bring him back to Stamford Bridge.
(BBC Sports)
