Nicolas Jackson’s agent Diomansy Kamara confirmed in no uncertain terms that his client would never again play for Chelsea despite still technically being on the books of the west London club.
Jackson eventually agreed a loan deal with Bayern Munich on Deadline Day amid a thick fog of confusion. A hamstring injury to Chelsea’s Liam Delap initially prompted the Blues to call off the arrangement as it would have left them with just one fit senior striker for the coming months. Jackson, however, had other ideas.
The player and his camp remained in Munich and forced through a move, reportedly agreeing to cover the extra cost Chelsea were demanding themselves. The terms of this strained agreement ensure that the German champions are only obligated to trigger the €65 million (£56.4 million, $77 million) purchase option if Jackson makes 40 starts this season.
As Bayern Munich’s honorary president Uli Hoeneß pointed out, this will be very difficult to achieve considering Jackson will miss a significant chunk of the season while on international duty with Senegal at AFCON at the turn of the year.
Nevertheless, the 24-year-old has no intention of heading back to Stamford Bridge.
Jackson’s agent Kamara was asked on whether his client would ever play for Chelsea again. “Absolutely not. Absolutely not,” he emphatically declared.
“Today at Chelsea, the relationship with [Enzo] Maresca isn’t necessarily the best,” Kamara continued. “We’re never going to bite the hand that feeds us because Chelsea allowed him to find the European level.
“He was there for two years and scored 30 goals, so he always had a good relationship. After, it’s true that the red cards complicated it at Chelsea. Today, we’re looking towards Bayern having a good season. We will see what is best for him. But it’s true that Bayern is a priority for him for a long time.”
Chelsea manager Maresca dismissed suggestions of a rift with his former forward. “I didn’t have any kind of problem with Nicolas and I don’t have any problem with Nicolas,” the Italian insisted. “Again, he is a good guy, good professional, works well with us and that’s it.”
