Nicolas Jackson is getting started at FC Bayern after the international break. On Friday, the new signing looked back on the ups and downs of the past few weeks.
Fortunately, Nicolas Jackson is now used to flying, otherwise the past two weeks would have been difficult to cope with.
The FC Bayern newcomer has had an adventurous journey in every sense of the word. He only returned to Munich on Thursday, like Harry Kane and Luis Diaz, and trained with his new teammates for the first time. On Tuesday evening, Jackson was still playing in Kinshasa (DR Congo), even scoring the important equalizer for Senegal in their 3-2 victory. And just four days later, the 24-year-old striker could make his Bundesliga debut for Bayern against Hamburger SV. “I can’t wait to play,” Jackson said on Friday when the German champions officially presented him in the cozy press room on Säbener Straße.
The journey was adventurous, not only because it takes a while to get from Central Africa to southern Germany. The journey was also linked to an adventurous back-and-forth by FC Bayern, who initially ignored Jackson from Chelsea FC, then wanted to loan him, and then were no longer allowed to loan him. And then were allowed to loan him again after all.
Jackson flew to Munich, spent two days there, apparently against Chelsea FC’s wishes, signed with Bayern Munich, and immediately boarded a plane back to Dakar to join the national team. “It was a tough time,” the newcomer recalls today. “I was very confident that I could stay here. In the end, we made it happen, so I’m very happy.”
The same goes for sporting director Max Eberl, who is particularly grateful to Jackson and his advisors. “There were huge offers again that he could have moved permanently.” However, Jackson was determined to join Bayern Munich. “That’s the crucial fact: we wanted to sign a player who really wanted to join us. That gave us extreme confidence.”
And “Jacko,” as Eberl calls Jackson, also believes that “they really wanted me here,” which is why he decided to leave Chelsea after only two years and despite a contract until 2033 (!), at least temporarily. This is because Chelsea had previously signed two new strikers, Liam Delap and Joao Pedro, for around €100 million.
The direct reunion: Jackson and Bayern face Chelsea
The Blues, whom he will face again on Wednesday in the Champions League opener, are in the past; now it’s Bayern that counts. According to Vincent Kompany, “Jacko” still needs a little while before he is 100 percent. “He didn’t have proper preparation,” explains the coach. Nevertheless, Jackson is already an option as a substitute against HSV. The player himself describes himself as a “number nine,” but also feels comfortable in a two-man attack. And, of course, he would ultimately just play wherever the coach puts him, Jackson added dutifully. “I want to win titles, score lots of goals, and help the team wherever I can.”
