After signing a new contract at Chelsea at the beginning of last season, Nicolas Jackson was quick to thank those that had helped him along the way. To get to the point where the Blues extended his deal by a further two years – to keep him signed with the club until 2033 – was enormous for the striker.
There was one man in particular that Jackson had to mention. Unai Emery, the Spanish coach who handed the Senegal international his Villarreal debut back in 2021. “I was always an offensive player,” Jackson explained to Chelsea’s website back in September 2024. “When I was young I was a No.10 or a false nine, because I like to move and drop deep.
“When I came to Europe, Unai changed that and put me in as a fixed No.9, waiting for the ball and playing more in the box, trying to run in behind. Unai changed all that, and I am grateful. I try to work harder to improve every day in that position.”
The feeling between Emery and Jackson is very much mutual. And it comes as no surprise whatsoever that Aston Villa are one of the numerous clubs being credited with an interest in the Chelsea forward. Villa are understood to be keen admirers of the Senegal international, although the Midlands club are said to be actively looking to sell players before they make any additions.
Manchester United and AC Milan are also interested in Jackson, but the likelihood is that they will be priced out of a move for the striker. football.london understands Jackson, who Chelsea believe is a potential £100million striker, is not for sale. Sources, however, refuse to describe him as untouchable. Every player has a price, as we have seen with Noni Madueke’s £52million switch to Arsenal.
During his time at Chelsea, Jackson has been the lead No.9 but he now finds himself in a precarious position at Stamford Bridge. The arrival of Liam Delap saw Jackson with some real competition for the central striker role – for the first time, really, since the Senegalese forward moved to west London in 2023 – and that was soon followed by the signing of Joao Pedro from Brighton.
Joao Pedro and Delap have both started their respective Chelsea careers excellently – and that, coupled with the fact Jackson has been shown a red card in two of his last five matches for the Blues, has seen the 24-year-old forward seemingly fall down the pecking order under Enzo Maresca.
Chelsea are planning to start the 2025/26 season with two out-and-out No.9s and one player that can be deployed across multiple attacking positions. In Delap, Jackson and Joao Pedro, the Blues have exactly that. Delap is just 22-years-old and relatively inexperienced, all things considered, meaning there will be plenty of rotation as Chelsea look to compete on all four fronts next term.
Maresca has proved in his one season at the club that he is very astute tactically and the Chelsea head coach is able to utilise attacking players in various positions to either get the best out of them or to benefit the team in that specific match. So in that sense, it will be very interesting to see how Maresca looks to use his attacking arsenal next season.
Either way, the feeling is that Jackson will still be a Chelsea player by the time the Blues kick off their new season on August 17.
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