Despite scoring the goal that would win Chelsea the Conference League, the prevailing picture of Nicolas Jackson against Real Betis was his blunder just a few minutes later. Running through on goal with the opportunity to square a pass for an easy third, Jackson’s redemption was almost complete.
Rightly or wrongly, Jackson’s detractors can still come out of a game he made a huge impact on and point towards his problems rather than his positives. Even his goal came off his chest, they can say.
Jackson had a good game in Poland, linking play well even when there was little service. In the final third he passed up several big moments that did come his way. It was about as typical Jackson as it comes, from scoring to messing up. Badging in when missing a header but also providing a valuable tool to link play and run the channels on his own.
Sympathisers of Jackson can support him from this game and enjoy the comedic moment late on. Those who will call for higher standards from a Chelsea striker will say he got away with it and still isn’t good enough.
It was his actions away to Newcastle United nearly three weeks earlier which had put Chelsea’s season in jeopardy. After three crucial Premier League wins in a row – five in all competitions – the striker was sent off at 1-0 down at St. James’ Park.
Having not been in the game for over half an hour, Jackson let his frustration out when raising his elbow in a challenge with Sven Botman. He was sent off and could have little complaint. Enzo Maresca’s reaction, choosing not to look at Jackson as he walked off, said it all.
Initially, Jackson is thought to have not apologised to his teammates as he instead contemplated the impact of this incident. Not only did it make Chelsea’s challenge of getting anything from that game increasingly tough, but it put their chances in the last two matches in doubt as well.
As it happened, Maresca managed to get two wins from two and a place in the Champions League was secured. Jackson’s elbow did not cost Chelsea but it might cost him.
Although football.london has written that Jackson’s position should not change with the arrival of Liam Delap, this is far from a certainty. Chelsea are still eyeing up other options for the summer window and could yet buy another.
Delap, at 22, is younger than Jackson and offers immediate competition rather than someone to come in and definitely snatch his place away. The English striker is also set to cost £30million – as per his release clause at Ipswich Town following relegation – which is the same as Jackson.
Delap will be arriving at Chelsea with only six months more top level senior experience than Jackson did in 2023. Although Delap has always been a striker (unlike Jackson, who was a converted winger shortly before joining Chelsea), he has spent much of his recent years in the EFL rather than at Manchester City.
There are similarities in their play style, too. Both players like to dribble and turn on the ball. They are both tall and right-footed. They matched each other with 10 open-play league goals.
One came with numerous missed chances in a much better team, whereas the other was left to create mostly for himself. Jackson’s poor 2025 has left his spot open to being taken regularly, though.
He is the first Chelsea striker since Diego Costa to score more 10 or more in consecutive league seasons but the manner of his struggles since the turn of the year, and then the reckless red card, have seen his standing come into question.
Delap is the new signing. He is the shiny new toy. Now Jackson is under threat. Yes, Chelsea will have to balance the team across tougher European matches now that they have moved past the Conference League, but Jackson is not going to be the clear starting No.9 next season.
That might not be Delap either, it really does wait to be seen. There are factors involved here which must be considered, though.
For starters, Jackson will miss the first match of the 2025/26 campaign. His three-game suspension carries over and will mean Maresca has to select another player in his position. Chelsea haven’t had someone able to fill in for Jackson during injury or rotation for the last two years but now they will.
Marc Guiu, Christopher Nkunku, and for a brief period Armando Broja, have not proven themselves able to support Jackson, let alone push him properly. Delap certainly will. He is actually a senior striker, for one.
Delap’s physicality and aerial ability also sets him apart from Jackson in one way. Jackson’s link-up may well be better (when he is in full flow) but Delap has other qualities. This is how a squad is meant to be constructed, even if both players are still growing.
The arrival of Delap will not stop Jackson from his errant moments of frankly hilarious ridiculousness. It would not eliminate the sort of bad touch when in a two-on-one like happened against Betis. But it would add consequence to Jackson in a way he has not had.
This is a player who was signed to play a role much smaller than the one he has had across 24 months. That Jackson has kept that position is due to his own successes (at points) and also circumstances with injury and poor recruitment around him.
He is finally going to face a genuine battle at Chelsea, which should see everyone come out better. Delap will be pushed on and so will Jackson. The question is, will Chelsea leave it there?
They had Hugo Ekitike on their list of potential strikers, football.london understands, and are always open to rogue pieces of business. Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres, not to mention Victor Osimhen, have all been on their radar in the past year or so as well.
Should the opportunity arise to sell Jackson and reinvest on another striker, then it is not out of the equation that Chelsea consider it. Jackson was a relatively low-cost forward who has showed excellence on occasion.
As a profile he is between Ekitike and Delap. He is not always pretty and rarely clinical but he does have a blend of skills that have made him crucial for Maresca. The draw of a quick, agile, direct striker with a range of finishes when confident is big.
Ekitike is being valued at over £80million. Delap was pitched as a £50million player before his relegation clause. Chelsea have the bonus of Champions League football to offer to prospective players which only improves their pitch and financial position.
A £110million spend on two strikers is not unrealistic if Jackson was sold for, say, £60million. That is the price of strikers at this level, and Jackson has 34 league goal contributions in two seasons with the caveats of above.
Gyokeres is expected to go for around £60million himself this summer. Osimhen is a tougher sell due to his enormous wages. Add in the money Chelsea will surely raise from their outgoing loanees of last season, and there is room here for a big summer.
If that comes at the cost of Jackson it would still be a surprise. The Senegalese international will back himself to still make a fight of being first choice no matter who comes in, offering Maresca the option of rotating across competitions and in the starting lineup.
If it becomes a case of Delap, Ekitike/Gyokeres, and/or Jackson, then the picture changes. This is a scenario only matched by the Romeo Lavia-Moises Caicedo double swoop at the end of the 2023 window. Chelsea are happy to play the market for what it is and would be acting ruthlessly to cash in on Jackson now, regardless of his flaws. It still cannot be written off as a possibility.
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