Chelsea given crystal clear reason to green light Victor Osimhen transfer after £62m deals

Chelsea were sent a brutal transfer message during their surprising 3-1 Club World Cup defeat to Flamengo. The Blues went in front through Pedro Neto but three second half goals from the Brazilian outfit turned the game right on its head with Nicolas Jackson sent off four minutes after coming off the bench.

Enzo Maresca handed Liam Delap his starting debut for the clash, following a £30million move from Ipswich Town, after he grabbed an assist during a bright first cameo for Chelsea in the 2-0 victory against Los Angeles FC.

The 22-year-old did not have as much joy this time round minus an early strike that was saved by Agustin Rossi. As such, Jackson came on just after the hour mark but he was shown a straight red card for a horror tackle.

During the first half, Delap was also cautioned for a late challenge with that his seventh yellow card in 2025. With all of that being said, football.london has taken an extensive look at the huge striker dilemma now facing Enzo Maresca.

Maresca call, Jackson worry, Osimhen green light

For the second time in his last four Chelsea appearances, Jackson has been sent off for dangerous play. Whether it is through frustration or a lack of awareness, he is setting a worrying precedent and that may result in referees taking note of his actions.

With that in mind, it was no surprise to see John Obi Mikel slam him for his conduct. “Unbelievable. Stupid, stupid, stupid mistake,” the former Chelsea midfielder said on DAZN.

“I don’t know what is going through his head. Your team needs you and you do that. He did that at Newcastle. Now he’s done this. I don’t care what his frustration his…”

Though his dismissal came after Flamengo’s quick-fire double, it heavily impacted Chelsea’s chances of getting back into the game.

football.london says: Chelsea signed Jackson from Villareal for £32m back in 2023 and minus a suspension arriving just six Premier League games into his career, his discipline has not appeared to be a major issue – until now.

There is only ever going to be one outcome from going in for a challenge with a stamping motion or a raised elbow which is why Jackson can have zero complaints. Ultimately, his dismissal at Newcastle did not hugely impact Chelsea’s Champions League push but it could have big financial effects here.

As Delap has somewhat proven, there is no problem in playing on the edge but this is where Jackson has shown it can be a problem if not controlled. Maresca has discussed deploying them both in a front two but there has to be concerns about that now.

If it wasn’t already clear, a third striker is needed and it simply has to be Victor Osimhen.

The naivety and thus lack of experience in Chelsea’s squad has been evidenced at times but the 26-year-old would undoubtedly bring some level-headedness.

It has also seemingly been made clear that Jackson looks up to Osimhen and has approved his arrival which could help the former mature and become a better player.