In a candid reflection on the shifting fortunes of young talent, El Hadji Diouf has voiced his support for Nicolas Jackson's loan move from Chelsea to Bayern Munich, describing the transfer as a significant opportunity for the Senegalese forward.
Jackson has spent the last 48 hours camped in a hotel in Munich after Chelsea first agreed a deal with Bayern before making a u-turn following an injury to Liam Delap.
The club asked that he return but having dropped from first choice to third he refused and with his agents they have now sealed a second deal that will be around £70million fee when they eventually buy him.
Jackson, 24, joined Chelsea in the summer of 2023 with high expectations. However, his time at Stamford Bridge has been tumultuous, with inconsistent performances and limited playing time under Enzo Maresca. In a bid to reignite his career, Jackson has now secured a loan move to Bayern Munich, one of the biggest clubs in Europe. Diouf, a former Senegal international and one of the most iconic figures in African football, believes that this could prove to be a pivotal moment in Jackson's development.
For me, Bayern Munich is one of the best teams in the world and not many players can say they played for both Chelsea and Bayern Munich. So it’s a win-win situation for him.
While Jackson's spell at Chelsea has been encouraging with 24 goals in 64 league games, Diouf stressed that it is important to understand the nature of football, a world that is often harsh and unforgiving.
I don’t know what happened at Chelsea, but they gave him a contract just last season, so you’d think when things got a bit tough they would have still stuck with him. But that is the way football is. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
Jackson’s loan to Bayern represents both a challenge and an opportunity: the chance to prove himself at a world-renowned club while under the watchful eye of one of the top managers in European football. Diouf believes that this fresh start in Germany could be just what Jackson needs to rediscover his best form.
Football these days, all he can do now is go to Germany, get his goals and make sure that he’s proving to people that he deserves to be there. There are high expectations, but he has the talent to succeed.
The timing of Jackson’s move could not be more critical for both his club career and his international prospects. As Senegal approaches the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the pressure to perform is intensifying. Diouf, who was part of the historic Senegal team that reached the 2002 World Cup quarter-finals, knows better than most the importance of having top players firing on all cylinders for the national team.
There is competition in the Senegalese team and the AFCON is coming up with a lot of big hopes for us. And for sure, when Jackson is performing, then that is good news for us. We have to make sure that all our top players are performing at the level that when they come to the AFCON, we are in a position to win it.
As Jackson sets his sights on a successful tenure at Bayern Munich, the hope is that his performances in Germany will not only help him regain his form but also enhance Senegal’s prospects in the upcoming continental tournament. For Diouf, this is a crucial moment in Jackson's career—one that could define his future both at club and international level.
