NICOLAS JACKSON has remained in close contact with his former Chelsea team-mates despite his desperation to move to Bayern Munich on deadline day.
The Senegalese forward will face his former club in the Champions League on Wednesday night and sources close to the player say there are no hard feelings between Jackson and his former team-mates.
SunSport understands that he is still in regular contact with several Chelsea players, including Trevoh Chalobah and Enzo Fernandez, who have all checked in to see how he’s settling in.
Jackson was a popular figure in the Chelsea dressing room and Fernandez, in particular, hasn’t forgotten the support Jackson showed him during a difficult period.
Jackson notably stood by Fernandez when the Argentine midfielder faced disciplinary proceedings from Chelsea and an ongoing Fifa investigation after posting a controversial video featuring a chant about black French players – widely condemned as racist and discriminatory.
In response, Jackson – one of Chelsea’s black players, posted a video of Fernandez playing with a young black child wearing a Chelsea shirt, accompanied by emojis of a black fist, a white fist, a heart, and an image of Jackson, Fernandez, and Marc Cucurella together in training.
Life in Germany has so far been smooth, with Jackson embracing the culture and throwing himself into learning the language.
Determined to integrate fully, Jackson has begun German lessons, believing that mastering the language will help him settle properly and build stronger connections with his new team-mates.
His close circle is rallying around him to provide the best possible environment and minimize distractions.
SunSport understands Jackson is still house-hunting, having barely had time to settle after his last-minute move to Bavaria.
His team had just 48 hours to readjust the terms of the loan deal after Chelsea attempted to recall him due to the injury to Liam Delap.
Shortly afterward, Jackson was off on international duty with Senegal. Upon his return, he had to quickly prepare for his debut over the weekend against Hamburg.
He hasn’t fully moved his belongings to Germany yet, as he’s still searching for a home he genuinely likes.
For now, he’ll continue staying in a hotel, at least until after the upcoming game against Chelsea.
Behind the scenes, sources say Jackson has impressed his new team-mates with his curiosity and eagerness to embrace the new culture.
He has spent a lot of time with Luis Diaz, who also speaks Spanish and is learning German after his move from Liverpool to Bayern Munich this summer.
The news that he is expected to return to Chelsea after his loan, as revealed by Bayern Munich chief Uli Hoeneß, has also served as motivation for the striker.
In a recent interview, Jackson said his focus is entirely on helping the team: “Obviously, I know he is a big legend for this club.
“I have a lot of respect for him. I knew him before. My job is just to play and help the team win games.
“The number of games isn’t my focus. I want to achieve big things with the club.”
Jackson and Bayern manager Vincent Kompany also share some history.
Kompany first tried to sign Jackson during his time at Anderlecht, and played a key role in convincing him to ignore a late approach from Juventus and commit to a move to Munich.
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