Chelsea Forward Set for ‘Second Chance’ Under Enzo Maresca | OneFootball

Nicolas Jackson Set for a Second Chance at Chelsea

It has been a rollercoaster summer for Chelsea’s Senegalese striker Nicolas Jackson.

He began May by grabbing a brace in a 4-1 win against Djurgarden, helping Chelsea put one foot into the UEFA Europa Conference League Final. 10 days later, just as Chelsea were chasing a 1-0 deficit, he saw red within 36 minutes after elbowing Sven Botman’s face — Bruno Guimaraes would double the lead in the final minutes to secure a 2-0 win for hosts Newcastle.

Jackson returned to action on May 28 and put Chelsea in front in the 70th minute, just five minutes after Enzo Fernandez’s equalizer, with the Blues storming to a 4-1 victory against Real Betis. He took part in Senegal’s comeback 3-1 win against England in a Nottingham friendly, setting up Ismaila Sarr’s leveler.

He then headed across the Atlantic to take part in the FIFA Club World Cup, finding Pedro Neto for the opening goal in the 34th minute as Chelsea prevailed 2-0 against LAFC in Atlanta. The following match would see Jackson cede his starting place to new arrival Liam Delap before eventually replacing him in the 64th minute following Flamengo’s equalizer.

Rather than breathe new life into his team, Jackson did the exact opposite. After an incessant flurry that saw substitute Bruno Henrique level the scoring and set up Danilo’s go-ahead goal immediately after coming on, Jackson added insult to injury when he planted his studs into an opponent and earned himself an immediate sending-off. Flamengo would end up winning 3-1 in Philadelphia after a goal from another substitute — Wallace — in the 83rd minute, securing first place in the group.

As legendary broadcaster Martin Tyler posited in the press conference room afterwards, “There are substitutes that win you games, and there are substitutes that lose you games.” This expulsion would see Chelsea take direct action by signing Brighton striker Joao Pedro, who made his debut in the quarterfinal against Palmeiras before starting against boyhood club Fluminense and grabbing a brace in a 2-0 win, before bagging another goal in the final against Paris Saint-Germain.

After two straight seasons of serving as Chelsea’s uncontested starting #9, Jackson found himself at risk of being Chelsea’s third-choice striker for the 2025/26 season. It’s why he decided to make the move to Bayern Munich on a season-long loan for a fee of €15 million with an option to buy of €65m as well as a sell-on fee.

At least, so he thought.

Just as Jackson was getting ready to start a new adventure in Bavaria, Delap sustained a hamstring injury in Saturday’s 2-0 win vs. Fulham, with the Englishman set to miss 6-8 weeks. With the club’s only other available center forward — Joao Pedro — deputizing as a 10 for the unavailable Cole Palmer, Tyrique George had to fill in up top for 67 minutes before making way for Andrey Santos.

It’s why Chelsea decided to pull a U-turn and cancel Jackson’s loan move. Having traveled to Germany to complete a medical, the collapsing dominoes of Delap’s injury as well as the sale of Christopher Nkunku to Milan would correspond in Jackson being forced to return west and challenge for his spot in West London, where he has a valid contract until 2033. Can he take advantage of his second chance and win back over the Chelsea faithful?