Chelsea told transfer decision ‘coming back to bite them’ but lifeline emerges

Chelsea were very active in the summer transfer window, spending roughly £300million on new signings but recouping close to the same amount while also sending stars out on loan

Former England star Paul Merson believes Chelsea are feeling the effects of allowing Nicolas Jackson to leave Stamford Bridge on loan. The Senegal international joined Bayern Munich on a season-long deal on deadline day, with the Bundesliga club paying an initial fee north of £13million and holding an option to make the deal permanent for just over £56m next summer.

The Blues had initially looked set to pull the plug on the Jackson deal when fellow striker Liam Delap suffered an injury in August. Instead, though, they brought Marc Guiu back from a Sunderland loan and allowed Jackson to head to Bavaria.

“In midfield, they’ve got one of the best in Moises Caicedo but up front, I think the decision to let Nicolas Jackson leave is coming back to bite Chelsea a bit,” Merson told Sky Sports. “Marc Guiu wasn’t up to the task against Sunderland.

“To only touch the ball nine or 10 times when you are playing for a dominant team, that’s not good enough. Joao Pedro is also not training much as he manages an injury. It leaves Chelsea short, and I think it shows that squad is not as great as everyone makes out.”

Chelsea picked up seven points in three games with Delap in the team at the start of the season, and just seven in six since. The former Ipswich striker made a welcome return to the matchday squad on Wednesday, starting on the bench against Wolves in the Carabao Cup.

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Enzo Maresca could yet be handed a lifeline, albeit not an immediate one. Reports from Germany this week suggest Bayern are ready to send Jackson back to West London after his loan, with an underwhelming run not helping the former Villarreal star’s case.

Jackson has started three Bundesliga games and played a further three as a substitute, but his only goals at the time of writing have come in the Champions League. Bayern are said to have set their sights on Kosovo striker Fisnik Asllani, who has made a fast start to the season with Hoffenheim.

Maresca allowed Jackson to leave Chelsea after a pair of red cards at the tail end of last season. A dismissal against Newcastle in the league risked costing the Blues a spot in this season’s Champions League, and he followed it with another straight red as the Blues were beaten by Flamengo in the Club World Cup.

“Football is full of cycles. Sometimes things don’t go as they should, and that’s part of the game,” the striker said after joining Bayern. “I respect Maresca, I learned a lot from him, he has his own ideas and style.

“I just needed something different at this stage of my career. I have no regrets, just gratitude for my time at Chelsea.”

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