If there are two things to be said about Chelsea Football Club, it’s that they’ve got an incredibly young and diverse squad. Apart from Ben Chilwell and Raheem Sterling, who spent the past season on loan and look set to leave Chelsea once again, the Blues don’t have a single player who is above the age of 27.

They have a promising crop of youngsters from South American countries like Brazil, Ecuador and Argentina, as well as from a wide range of European nations like Denmark, Portugal, Belgium, Spain, England, France and the Netherlands – they even have an American goalkeeper on their roster in Gabriel Slonina. However, one area that isn’t quite as well-represented in the Chelsea squad is Africa.

Chelsea boasts a vast legacy of important African footballers like Didier Drogba, John Obi Mikel, and Michael Essien, but today, they find themselves with just one African player in their squad: Nicolas Jackson.

Born in Banjul, The Gambia to a Gambian father and Senegalese mother, Jackson’s family moved to Ziguinchor, Senegal in the wake of the 2016 Gambian election. It was here in Senegal where Jackson got his start as a footballer with Casa Sports, attracting the interest of Villarreal, who signed him to their Juvenil A squad in September 2019.

Despite having to deal with a worldwide pandemic in a new continent, Jackson managed to find his footing in Spain after returning from a loan spell with Segunda side Mirandes, scoring seven goals and leading Villarreal B to promotion to the second tier in 2021/22, a season which also saw him break into the first team under Unai Emery and register nine appearances.

However, it was the 2022/23 season where Jackson managed to truly make his mark on world football, racking up 13 goals and 5 assists in 38 appearances for Villarreal and making his debut for Senegal in the FIFA World Cup. Jackson came close to joining Bournemouth in January 2023 for £22.5 million deal, only for the young striker to fail his medical due to hamstring problems. He returned to full fitness in sensational fashion by scoring nine goals in April and May, prompting Chelsea to sign him for £32 million in June 2023.

Jackson was immediately tasked with leading the line for Chelsea, and whilst he managed to impress in his debut season with 17 goals and 6 assists in 44 appearances, he nevertheless left many supporters questioning his decision-making in front of goal as well as his lack of discipline, having amassed 10 yellow cards.

The Senegalese forward would then rack up 13 goals and 6 assists in 37 appearances as well as eight yellow cards in 2024/25, grabbing a goal against Real Betis in the UEFA Conference League Final to lead Chelsea to their first trophy in four years. After two years of being Chelsea’s starting striker, it became increasingly clear that the Blues needed to increase their quality up front – they needed a guarantee.

After grabbing an assist in their opening match of the FIFA Club World Cup vs. LAFC, Jackson dropped to the bench for their second match, with new signing Liam Delap being entrusted with the starting role. Chelsea relinquished an early lead as Bruno Henrique levelled things up for Flamengo, whilst Danilo put the Brazilian side in front in the 65th minute. Shortly after, Jackson was shown a red for an ill-advised tackle, his second red card in four matches for Chelsea, as Flamengo held on for a 3-1 victory.

He would make just one more appearance for the rest of the campaign, coming on for the final 40 minutes of their 2-0 win vs. Fluminense and remaining on the bench for their quarterfinal vs. Palmeiras and the final vs. Paris Saint-Germain. In the meantime, Joao Pedro – who had joined midway through the tournament following Jackson’s expulsion – made himself a nuisance in attack, scoring a brace vs. Fluminense and a goal vs. PSG to guide Chelsea to the Club World Cup title.

With Delap and Pedro both competing for a spot at the center forward position, and with other players like Xavi Simons and Alejandro Garnacho closing in on potential moves to Stamford Bridge, it’s clear that Jackson’s future is no longer at Chelsea.

The 24-year-old trained alone on Friday, with Chelsea agreeing to let Jackson seek a transfer but reportedly holding out for more than the £52m that Chelsea received from Arsenal for Noni Madueke, due to him boasting superior goal-scoring numbers. Newcastle are reportedly keen on a move for Jackson as they look to find a long-term successor for wantaway striker Alexander Isak, having already missed out on targets Hugo Ekitike and Benjamin Sesko to Liverpool and Manchester United.