Former Chelsea FC winger Pat Nevin recently spoke to Betway (full interview here) about Nicolas Jackson’s loan move from Chelsea to Bayern Munich. Nevin thinks Jackson had the “opportunity of a lifetime”
to join the Bavarians.
“It’s a tricky situation, and I feel like I need to be honest about what happened. From Nicolas Jackson’s point of view, I completely understand it. However, from my own view as a former player, I believe a contract is a contract. If you’ve agreed a contract with a club and they’re paying your wages, then you do the job and you agree to do that. If you’re sold or you come to an agreement, then fine you move on. But, and it’s a big but, Chelsea weren’t interested in keeping Jackson this summer, and it was obvious that he was going to be sold,” Nevin said. “Chelsea knew they would get a decent profit for him, and he was completely kicked out of the plans after being the main man last season. You can understand his frustrations, but then a club like Bayern Munich come in for you. I totally understand his anger because that’s an opportunity that might not come back around.
“Bayern Munich is an opportunity of a lifetime, and because Chelsea had an injury problem, Jackson probably felt he was being used. In reality, I probably wouldn’t have done what Jackson did, but I don’t actually blame him for his actions. I don’t think Chelsea fans will be that annoyed with him either. It didn’t go well for him towards the end. He looked like he could be someone who was spectacular because of his pace. He’s a decent finisher, although he needs a few chances to score. Everything was there for him to be a top player, but it just didn’t happen for him at that elite level. Then he gets sent off against Newcastle and Flamengo, so you start to think, is this working out?”
Ultimately, Nevin thinks Jackson’s move was good for both Jackson and Chelsea.
“If I’m honest, I think Joao Pedro is an upgrade and to a certain degree so is Delap. If you’re getting over £70 million for a player who cost Chelsea £32 million, then it’s a profit for the club and a good bit of business. Once Delap’s injury clears up, Chelsea will find themselves in a much stronger position,” said Nevin.
Nevin also does not think the relationship between Chelsea and Jackson is damaged beyond repair.
“I don’t think it is as bad as the situation got with Alexander Isak at Newcastle because this was a short and angry response to something that happened within the week. We all thought he was going to Bayern Munich, then all of a sudden he’s being asked to come back. These things can happen in football. Time heals, and you never know in a year how much things can change. Jackson’s Bayern move might not work out, and he has to come back. I think Chelsea would see him as someone who is usable, but also sellable if it comes to it,” Nevin said. “I don’t see him being a main part of Chelsea FC going forward though, regardless of what happens at Bayern. That won’t be just from Chelsea’s side either; it’ll be from Jackson’s side as well. I suppose it’s a situation that you worry about when the time comes, but for Chelsea, the perfect scenario would be for him to join Bayern on a permanent basis. Chelsea are very good in the transfer market; they’ve proven that they’re good at selling assets that aren’t necessarily wanted at the club.
“The only issue you can see is if he gets injured and Bayern send him back because he signed an eight-year contract. That’s always going to be the issue with Chelsea’s model; if it doesn’t work or if their attitude changes, then they can just decide to sit there on this contract. It can happen, so you need to be wary of that, but hopefully it won’t be the case with Jackson. In reality I think he’ll do ok at Bayern, and there will be some sort of agreement at the end of the loan.”
While Jackson has not gotten off to a good start, it is a long season and he will have plenty of chances to prove himself.
Bayern Munich will host Werder Bremen in a Bundesliga match that — on paper — looks a little lopsided.
Okay, a lot lopsided.
The Bavarians are scorching hot and Werder Bremen has a slew of injuries, which makes for what could be a very tough challenge against a Bayern Munich team than can just wear down the opposition.
Let’s get into it — this is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show:
- What to watch for with Werder Bremen. Die Werderaner are banged up, but does still have some talent. Will it be enough to shock Bayern Munich? We doubt it.
- A look at Bayern Munich’s injury situation.
- A guess at Bayern Munich’s starting XI.
- A prediction on the match.
