Should Nicolas Jackson score for Bayern Munich against Chelsea at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday, he would not be the first loan player to haunt his parent club in the Champions League.
It happened as recently as last season when an attacker called Silas scored for Red Star Belgrade against Stuttgart in a 5-1 victory. The 26-year-old Congolese did not celebrate out of respect. In 2020, Bayern’s own Philippe Coutinho struck twice in an 8-2 thumping of his parent club Barcelona when he was on loan in Germany.
But Jackson? He is up there with football’s most entertaining mavericks, a trait which was presumably why we reporters were rarely allowed an audience with him in the Blues’ mixed zone.
Bayern put him up this week and at one stage, Jackson had to correct himself when discussing Chelsea. ‘My former cl… no, my club,’ he said during one answer in English. Clearly, he remains mindful that, technically, he is still contracted until 2033 at Stamford Bridge.
Will he celebrate if he scores tonight? Well as grateful as he is for Chelsea giving him a chance when they signed him from Villarreal two summers ago, the Senegal striker, 24, appears to consider that chapter of his career now closed.
We are told Jackson has no interest in returning to Chelsea, despite the €65m (£56.3m) obligation which comes with his €16.5m (£14.3m) loan being difficult to achieve. Bayern president Uli Hoeness claimed it would require him starting 40 matches in the Bundesliga and Champions League which, given he will be going away with Senegal to the Africa Cup of Nations in December, appears unlikely.
Nicolas Jackson appears to view the Chelsea chapter of his career as closed
Bayern Munich have a £56.3m option to make his loan move from the Blues permanent, on top of the £14.3m loan fee they have paid
However, Jackson and his advisor, the former Portsmouth, West Brom and Fulham striker Diomansy Kamara, are taking little notice of those terms. They believe if he shows he can score, Bayern will find a way to sign him permanently next summer.
Kamara was this week asked whether he could see Jackson returning to Chelsea, on an episode of Talents D’Afrique shown on Canal+ Sport, to which he replied: ‘Absolutely not. Absolutely not.
‘Today at Chelsea, the relationship with (Enzo) Maresca isn’t necessarily the best. 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.’
On Hoeness’ comments regarding 40 starts, Kamara continued: ‘It’s a war of egos between the two clubs. He even rowed back on his comments. It’s true that there is a saga around the transfer.
‘It was a loan without an obligation to buy. We did a little pushing and said he did not want to return to Chelsea. And voila: the clubs reached an agreement. There was talk around how many matches Nico would have to play for an obligatory option.
‘Nico’s objective isn’t to play 40 matches. If he scores 15 goals by December, they’re not going to say, “play 40 matches”.’
That alone suggested that Jackson sees the games as arbitrary. The goals are where he will be judged by Bayern once this season is over. He made his debut as a half-time substitute in their 5-0 Bundesliga victory over Hamburg at the Allianz on Saturday.
Jackson made his Bundesliga debut on Saturday in a 5-0 thumping of Hamburg at the Allianz Arena
Jackson’s exit hit a major hurdle when Chelsea tried to cancel the deal after Liam Delap’s injury, but he made his way to Munich nonetheless
The 48 hours leading up to the 11pm deadline on Monday, September 1 were intense, after Chelsea told him to return to London following Liam Delap’s hamstring injury against Fulham on the Sunday. They reminded him that he was contractually obliged, as he no longer had their permission to undergo a medical. Jackson remained in Munich as he insisted on representing Bayern.
Daily Mail Sport received a message from one contact around Chelsea after 10pm that night, which read: ‘Nico will be raging. I can’t see how he plays for Chelsea. They have to find something.’
And they did, with Chelsea striking an agreement with Bayern so that the deal could be done in time. Maresca did not speak to Jackson amid that saga, but the Blues boss did message him to wish ‘all the best’ once it was confirmed.
Key to the loan switch being sealed was how Bayern’s manager, Vincent Kompany, and director of sport, Max Eberl, made Jackson feel wanted.
Readers of the Munich-based tabloid Tz were told this week that Kompany and his analysts intended on using Jackson. Not only as a striker but as a source of secrets, someone who up until two weeks ago was working within Chelsea under Maresca.
Which signals mean what at set-pieces. What surprises they might spring. How they might plan to hurt Bayern tactically.
Tz’s headline was: ‘Bayern bekommt Tipps vom Leihspieler: Chelsea-Spion Jackson.’ Translating to: ‘Bayern gets tips from loan player: Chelsea spy Jackson.’
Jackson’s camp did their homework on his new club before joining, too, with Kamara adding that they had spoken with Sadio Mane, who left Bayern for Saudi side Al Nassr in the summer.
Jackson’s agent is Diomansy Kamara, the former Fulham, West Brom, Portsmouth and Senegal striker
Jackson spoke with Senegal team-mate and former Bayern winger Sadio Mane before making the switch to Bavaria
‘Sadio’s experience there was not extraordinary but he advised Nico to express his identity,’ Kamara, 44, said. ‘The most important thing was the manager. Vincent Kompany rang him.
‘He knows exactly how Nico works and removed the pressure of goalscoring. Last season they scored 99 goals. They told Nico: you’re 24, you’re young, Harry Kane is there.
‘(At Chelsea) they really miss a reference player who understands the No 9 role. He can play as a striker, he can play in the corridors, it’s a hybrid team.
‘Nico has the ability to impose himself there (at Bayern). It will be a marriage for the short, medium, and long term.’
