Nicolas Jackson is far from a perfect footballer. Few, if any, of those bringing his name back into Chelsea conversation are doing so with a blinkered view of a flawless answer to Enzo Maresca's attacking fears.
That has always been the core of the issue around Jackson. The discourse about him has felt warped, extreme and unfair. Neither is Nicolas Jackson one of the world's best centre forwards nor the worst footballer to ever play for Chelsea.
Jackson was rightly castigated for his petulance showcased to his team's detriment against Newcastle and Flamengo, leading to straight red cards and Chelsea defeats. Albeit, it is nonsensical to contest the club's discipline issue has been resolved since he left for Munich.
The defence of Jackson is merely a reflection on what is not in Maresca's attack and why the risk taken over the summer was completely unnecessary.
Chelsea could probably do with Nicolas Jackson right now
Chelsea were completely blunt in Saturday's 0-0 draw with Bournemouth. Creating sufficient chances were as big a problem as finishing them. Liam Delap was forced off with a shoulder injury that Maresca referred to as "bad" post-game. Neither Joao Pedro nor Marc Guiu could pick up the slack leading to successive away games witout victory.
On paper, Chelsea's strikers are not performing strongly. Joao Pedro leads the pack with four league goals. He amassed 0.00 in xG across the previous two games. That is the fifth time since August.
Guiu has struggled for consistent minutes seeing his only goal come at home to Ajax in the Champions League. Creating 0.58 npxG per 90 from only 310 league minutes. Delap is yet to score a league goal – 0.21 npxG p90 from 377 league minutes, hampered by a hamstring injury in August.
In all competitions, the trio have a total of 6 goals. Tyrique George, a sporadic player at best, already has three but is not a natural centre-forward.
Nicolas Jackson was a good signing for #CFC. 24 goals in 65 PL apps, 10 A. Had to develop as a very raw player under intense scrutiny and contributed importantly in both seasons.
— Daniel Childs ☕️ (@SonOfChelsea) September 1, 2025
Given way ppl talk about him, you'd think he never scored. £35m in 2023, to up to £70m in 2025. pic.twitter.com/R1dTGjhhKz
Contrast that to Jackson at this stage last season, he already had eight, just in the Premier League. His 9th coming on the 15th at home to Brentford. Granted Jackson would have to wait until April to net his 10th of the campaign, one that was also blighted by injury and suspension.
Jackson's two seasons at Stamford Bridge saw him net 30 goals from 81 appearances. Broken down that is 24 goals in 65 Premier League games, with the other six split across the domestic cups and Europa Conference League.
Not freakish, but a decent return for a club that has consistently failed to find an elite goalscorer since the exit of Diego Costa in 2017. Signing both Pedro and Delap in the summer brought potential but no guarantees.
Pedro was not exactly an ample scorer from his record with Brighton and Delap only had one Premier League season to his name. Jackson hit 10 or more in his two seasons. That is pretty decent for a raw forward under immense scrutiny.
Letting him leave meant that those 10 or more goals had to be filled instantly. By the looks of things right now, they simply haven't. Pedro Neto makes the top ten of league scorers so far with 5 to his name.
Goals are being shared around but relying on that to maintain across a long season is unlikely. Chelsea desperately need Cole Palmer to rediscover his scoring touch.
With Pedro's lack of attacking input, Guiu's rawness and Delap's injury concerns, goals look hard to find. Making Jackson's loan to Bayern all the more costly for Maresca.
The loan itself does not seem to be that effective for Jackson, despite the status and the CV credit of playing for Bayern. He has only made the starting lineup six times in the 18 games he's been in the squad for. Despite those lack of minutes, he has still found the net 5 times, which would place him highest in Chelsea's current striking ranks.
Early reports suggest Bayern are unlikely to commit to the Senegalese international beyond this loan, making his future uncertain. Chelsea have invested in Pedro, Delap and await the arrival of Emmanuel Emegha from sister club Strasbourg next summer.
The relationship with Chelsea appeared to break down in a toxic manner, which has proven costly for all parties involved. Jackson's an understudy for Harry Kane whilst Chelsea again look unable to field a consistent scorer after billions of investment.