Paul Merson believes that Chelsea’s decision to sanction the sale of Nicolas Jackson may have already ‘come back to bite’ Enzo Maresca’s side.

Jackson scored 13 goals in all competitions last season, but quickly found himself down the pecking order at Chelsea after the summer arrivals of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap.

The Senegalese international eventually secured a move to Bayern Munich, with the German giants paying around £14m to sign Jackson on a season-long loan deal.

The Bundesliga champions are obligated to make the deal permanent next summer for more than £56m if Jackson makes a set number of appearances.

The decision to let Jackson depart didn’t seem controversial at the time, particularly after the fast start that Pedro made to life in a blue shirt.

Get personalised updates on

See Full Page