Chelsea had a lot of outgoings during the summer transfer window, but Paul Merson has admitted that there was one player he wouldn’t have gotten rid of.
It was another summer of high activity at Stamford Bridge, with the Blues aiming to strengthen their squad and push them into the Premier League title race this season.
Chelsea spent £296.5million on new signings, but to balance the books for FFP, that also meant that plenty of players left the club, both permanently and on loan deals.
While some were expected to depart due to the lack of minutes they played, Merson was shocked at one first-team player Chelsea allowed to depart.
Paul Merson would have kept Nicolas Jackson
One of the most notable departures this summer was Nicolas Jackson, who joined Bayern Munich on a season-long loan deal.
The Bundesliga giants have an obligation to buy him at the end of the season if he makes 40 appearances from the start, which president Uli Hoeneß has claimed will not happen.
The deal will cost Bayern Munich a total of £70.5million, which is being split into an initial £14.3million loan fee and a further £56.2million if he joins the club permanently.
Whether Jackson stays in Germany permanently or not, Merson told SportsKeeda that he shouldn’t have exited Stamford Bridge at all.
| Nicolas Jackson Chelsea Stats | Games Played | Goals | Assists |
| All Competitions | 81 | 30 | 12 |
“The Nicolas Jackson situation at Chelsea was very interesting. He was on his way to Bayern Munich, and all of a sudden, Liam Delap gets injured.
“They initially wanted to cancel Jackson’s loan, but later decided to let him join Bayern, possibly with one eye on balancing the books as well.
“If I were Chelsea, I would have kept him. I don’t think he’s a bad player.”
Jackson showcased glimpses of quality throughout his two seasons at the club, but ultimately his inconsistency in front of goal and the wasted chances became a point of frustration for fans.
Chelsea strengthened in the attacking areas this summer
Chelsea brought in Liam Delap and Joao Pedro to play up front this season, with Maresca deeming Jackson surplus to requirements.
Supporters have wanted someone more clinical to lead the line for years, and Pedro has already shown signs of being capable of that by scoring five goals in six games for Chelsea in all competitions.
Meanwhile, Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens were signed to provide more options out wide, which takes up another area of the pitch where Jackson sometimes played.
When Delap suffered his hamstring injury, there was panic that almost led to Jackson being kept for this season, but the Blues went another way.
Instead, Marc Guiu was called back from his season-long loan at Sunderland, with the young forward returning to Chelsea for this season.
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