Nicolas Jackson's shock Chelsea exit branded 'a bit harsh' despite Bayern Munich new boy not being a 'natural goal-scorer' as former Blues boss admits there's no room for 'sentiment'

Jackson only committed to fresh terms 12 months ago, with that agreement supposed to keep him in west London through to the summer of 2033. The 24-year-old now finds himself at the Allianz Arena.

He has swapped being back-up in England - behind new arrivals Joao Pedro and Liam Delap - for a similar role in Germany. When fit, England captain Harry Kane will be Bayern’s go-to goal-getter.

It is considered unlikely that a £70 million ($95m) purchase clause in Jackson’s deal in Munich will be triggered, meaning that his long-term future remains uncertain - with parent club Chelsea seemingly ready to move forward with alternative options.

Discussing Jackson’s slightly surprising departure, former Blues player and manager Di Matteo - speaking in association with BetVictor Online Casino - told GOAL: “We can’t have too many sentiments in football. I like him. He’s not naturally a goal-scorer. Joao Pedro has shown that he can be a natural goal-scorer, so that’s going to make a huge difference for the team because sometimes - many times - you play against teams that just sit back and you don't have space. You need some match-winners in your team, some players that can unlock a defence, like [Cole] Palmer, like Joao Pedro, Estevao - he has started his career with Chelsea on a really positive note. And then Delap, every time that he plays or comes on he looks very strong, very sharp, physically very good.

"A bit harsh but maybe he didn’t want to be around as second or third striker, he wanted a different challenge. He’s gone to Bayern, I mean that’s a top world club, it’s not a small club."

Jackson was one of 26 players to depart Chelsea, either on permanent deals or loan agreements, during another busy window for the Premier League giants. Quizzed on whether that recruitment model - with 11 fresh faces arriving - is sustainable, Di Matteo said: “For once it was more out than in! I think the balance sheet is looking quite good. Financially they are looking quite good, they are doing very well. Player trading is making a huge profit.

“They are buying very good young players, it is a strategy that is working out very well. I don’t think they will have any complaints. There are always discussions and conversations about 'should we have sold him or not' but I think they are doing a great job.”

FIFA Club World Cup winners Chelsea, with Champions League football back on their agenda, have made an unbeaten start to the 2025-26 campaign. They will return to domestic action on Saturday when taking in the short trip to neighbours Brentford.