Chelsea make dramatic transfer U-turn following crucial injury blow

Chirag Sharatkumar

Chelsea make dramatic transfer U-turn following crucial injury blow image

Chelsea have pulled the plug on Nicolas Jackson’s proposed season-long loan to Bayern Munich.

According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, the club have already informed Bayern that they will not be proceeding with the move and have asked Jackson to return to London.

This development follows striker Liam Delap’s injury in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Fulham on Saturday (August 30).

Negotiations with Bayern were well past the advanced stage, with Jackson already having been given permission to travel to Germany for his medical with the German champions.

The clubs had reached an agreement for a £13m loan fee with an option to buy, which could have pushed the total package to £69m next summer.

Jackson’s future had been uncertain throughout the summer after he dropped behind both Delap and Joao Pedro in the pecking order.

But the 24-year-old has now been called back and is set to be reintegrated into Enzo Maresca’s first-team squad immediately, per reports from Ornstein.

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Why did Chelsea change their mind?

Chelsea’s decision to U-turn on Jackson’s move came mere hours after Delap was forced off after 14 minutes at Stamford Bridge with a hamstring injury.

According to Sky Sports, Maresca expects Delap to be sidelined for up to eight weeks, meaning that the once-dispensable Jackson may now be a vital part of the Blues’ attack.

The Chelsea boss had been open to Jackson’s departure following their summer transfer activity but quickly changed course after talks with the management and medical team.

With Delap out injured, allowing Jackson to leave would have left Joao Pedro as the club’s only recognized senior striker.

“When you have two strikers it is enough, when one of them is injured for weeks it is not enough,” Maresca said after Chelsea’s win on Saturday.

“Today we played for more than one hour with Tyrique [George and he did brilliant. The last time he played as a No 9 was against Manchester United last year.

“We tried to use different solutions. If you remember there were some games where we used Pedro [Neto] as a No 9. But for sure when you have two proper No 9’s it is enough,” Maresca concluded.

With Delap now sidelined, Jackson may now be handed an unexpected opportunity to play a key role again at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea news and related links

Chirag Sharatkumar

Chirag Sharatkumar is a freelance writer for The Sporting News, with a focus on the Premier League, international football, and global fan culture. He also has extensive experience with the Stats Perform news agency and is a keen long-form sport and culture writer and storyteller. His work can be found on the pages of MUNDIAL Magazine and across various Substack platforms.