Aston Villa’s time to strike has arrived, with reported target Nicolas Jackson missing out on Chelsea’s most recent pre-season friendly. The Blues took on Real Sociedad in a friendly on Saturday, with Xabi Alonso taking on a club close to his heart, but not all Chelsea stars were involved.
Striker Jackson missed out on pre-match minutes and while, at time of writing, we do not know the reason for it, it was notable that Liam Delap and Tosin Adarabioyo, who have also been linked with exits, were also absent.
There have been some reports that Jackson is willing to stay and fight for his place, but if Alonso is not going to give him a genuine opportunity to do so, then that could well change. Villa could do with a third striker to compete with Ollie Watkins and Tammy Abraham, and Jackson could be a very gettable target.
A deal has not been possible up to now, but after Jackson was left out of his side’s latest squad, now is the time for Unai Emery to strike again. We already know Emery has a good relationship with Jackson, so it shouldn’t be too tricky to convince the striker to join Villa if he does leave Chelsea, and especially not with the lure of Champions League football.
“Unai Emery taught me a lot in football. He taught me everything.” – Nicolas Jackson
There is some risk for Jackson. He has a reputation to fight off in this country after a couple of red cards towards the end of his last Chelsea season saw him painted as a player with a bad attitude, or perhaps as a player with a discipline problem.
But this is not a player who has repeatedly been sent off throughout his career, and Emery will know that as well as anyone. Jackson was never sent off for Villarreal, and it is within Emery’s system that he succeeded the most as a player.
Nicolas Jackson’s scoring record in league campaigns
2025/26 – 8 goals in 23 games
2024/25 – 10 goals in 30 games
2023/24 – 14 goals in 35 games
2022/23 – 12 goals in 26 games
2021/22 – 0 goals in 9 games
Jackson himself once said: “Unai Emery taught me a lot in football. He taught me everything. When I arrived from Senegal, I knew how to play, but I didn’t understand how to run on the field. I was running like crazy, grabbing the ball, dribbling, creating my own moves. I think he changed everything and made me a different player.”
Jackson has scored in the Premier League, netting a respectable 24 goals in 65 games in the competition, and while he is not in the form of his life, coming off a season playing back-up to Harry Kane, he is still only 25 years of age and has plenty of development still to come.
If Villa can get Jackson on a good deal, or even a loan deal, it would take care of the striker position, with three solid – and different – options, and fitting into Emery’s system again, even without it being identical to his time at Villarreal, should be a comfortable process for the striker.