It’s all coming out as Chelsea star wanted to leave Stamford Bridge after ‘fan criticism’

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There were some big exits at Chelsea during the summer, with Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku and Joao Felix all leaving the club.

Jackson got a move to Bayern Munich on deadline day, while Christopher Nkunku joined AC Milan just before that.

With Cristiano Ronaldo’s help, Al-Nassr were able to sign Felix, who recently scored a hat-trick for the Saudi Arabian club.

In the end, none of those three players would have been happy with their situation at Chelsea, hence their summer exits.

• READ MORE: Chelsea superstar Moises Caicedo gives emotional reaction to deadline day news at Stamford Bridge

Criticism from Chelsea fans made Nicolas Jackson unhappy

Jackson really seemed to be unhappy and not just because Chelsea signed two new players in his position — Joao Pedro and Liam Delap.

Journalist Simon Phillips has claimed on Si Phillips Talks Chelsea that Jackson felt that the “fan criticism” he was receiving was too much.

As a result of that and the pressure of being the club’s first-choice striker, the 24-year-old became “unhappy” at Stamford Bridge.

At the end of last season, Jackson did not exactly do himself any favours. He was sent off in Chelsea’s defeat to Newcastle United before picking up another red card in a Club World Cup clash against Flamengo, leading to more criticism.

However, Chelsea did put a lot of pressure on his shoulders by not signing an experienced striker to alternate with him.

In the summer of 2024, Chelsea did pursue Victor Osimhen, but they failed to get a deal over the line.

Nicolas Jackson and Joao Pedro’s 2024/25 seasons compared

Right now, Chelsea are not missing Jackson. Pedro has been able to hit the ground running since his arrival at the club and is probably a better striker overall. Last term, he was definitely the more clinical of the two.

Jackson and Pedro scored the same number of goals during the 2024/25 Premier League season, but Pedro made fewer starts and played fewer minutes.

WhoScored recently named Pedro in their Premier League Team of the Month for August, which was thoroughly deserved. Ultimately, Pedro is proving to be an upgrade on Jackson.