The unprecedented transfer policy of Chelsea is witnessing them pushing away players who seem to be bought for the future. The Blues are ready to dismiss pride or competition aside to pursue improvement. That's why after Madueke, Jackson may be the next name to leave.
Only a few people are “inviolable”
After accepting the offer from Arsenal for Noni Madueke, who was allowed to leave Chelsea's training camp at FIFA Club World Cup, the London team did not rule out the ability to sell another contract from the summer of 2023: Nicolas Jackson.
Madueke is the latest example that Chelsea is willing to change the direction to seek improvement, and the sale of Jackson this summer will prove that.
Ever since the Premier League season ended, Jackson has witnessed Chelsea recruit two more strikers, Liam Delap and Joao Pedro, which makes many people believe that the club is willing to let him leave.
The red cards against Newcastle United at the end of the Premier League and Flamengo season at the World Cup Club made Jackson lose points in the eyes of coach Enzo Maresca and dropped to a lower ranking in the priority list.
During his suspension, Jackson was also not allowed to participate in the start -up training sessions before the match, both in the UK and the United States, causing many teammates to believe that he might be on the way to leave the club.
Similar to the case of Madueke, Chelsea has not officially sold Jackson or actively offered him to other clubs. But they also do not consider him “unable to touch” and will consider if they receive appropriate offers.
In fact, very few players at Chelsea are now considered inviolable. The club is ready to negotiate with the majority of players in the squad, except for some names like Cole Palmer, Moisés CaiCedo and some others.
Chelsea's transfer policy
Since taking over Chelsea, the owners of Clearlake and Todd Boehly have continuously challenged the traditional principles of English football, and their level of “trading” is almost unprecedented in the Premier League.
According to the calculation of the Telegraph Sport, in only the first 4 transfer under the new owner, starting from the summer of 2022, Chelsea signed 33 players that could be considered for the first team. Among them, 21 people left or ready to be sold this summer.
Chelsea has changed the philosophy since January 2023, targeting young players with higher development potential, but the personnel revolt still takes place very strongly. Madueke and Jackson are two examples of Chelsea's difference with other top 4 clubs. Signing a contract with young players with low basic salaries helps them always have an open transfer market.
Although not the “fever” contracts at Stamford Bridge, both of them have progress and are now more valuable than the amount of Chelsea spent. The evidence is that Arsenal is willing to spend more than £ 50 million for Madueke, who bought for £ 29 million.
The current value of Jackson is valued at the threshold of £ 60 million, in the context that many clubs are looking for strikers, including Arsenal, Man United, and maybe Aston Villa if Ollie Watkins left. This promises he will attract much attention.
For many clubs, selling Madueke or Jackson after only one year can be considered a failure or admission of mistakes in the market. But Chelsea is ready to rotate and act flexibly if they believe it helps the team to improve and get rid of pride or rival.
Even the “bombs” that are said to be the failure of Chelsea retain the market value, while many other clubs are often trapped with the high -paying players that no one dares to buy. The case of Joao Felix is for example, Chelsea believes that his salary can still be met by some clubs outside Benfica.
Of course there are exceptions, such as Raheem Sterling with a salary of about £ 300,000/week. But Chelsea believed that the players were signed after 2023, like Madueke and Jackson, would not have the same situation. The club has just agreed to sell goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, who was signed in August 2023 for £ 10 million, for Bournemouth for 25 million.
The fact that Madueke left also opened the possibility of Chelsea recruiting a winger, though signed Jamie Gittens. If Jackson leaves, the team will likely consider additional strikers. According to the Telegraph Sport, Chelsea would like to have 9 players in the main squad next season.
Suppose Villa sells Watkins and asks Jackson, Chelsea will almost certainly respond to the offer to Morgan Rogers. It is that flexibility that Chelsea believes that they will have an advantage in the race to catch up with Liverpool, Man City and Arsenal.