Nicolas Jackson has revealed that he was close to joining Aston Villa before completing his move to Chelsea in 2023.
The Senegal international arrived in west London after Chelsea paid £32million to sign him from Villarreal.
After a challenging debut season in England, Jackson has found his rhythm in the 2024/25 campaign.
The pacy centre-forward has scored eight goals and provided three assists in 14 Premier League appearances, emerging as a clinical finisher despite earlier struggles with profligacy.
Reflecting on his journey, Jackson admitted his career could have taken a very different path.
The 23-year-old first rose to prominence at Villarreal in the 2022/23 season under current Aston Villa manager Unai Emery.
The Spanish coach was eager to bring Jackson to Villa Park during the January transfer window in 2023.
However, the move fell through due to a hamstring injury the striker was nursing at the time.
“When Unai left, he wanted me to go to Aston Villa, but I was injured,” Nicolas Jackson admitted.
“I wanted to leave because the coach came in. I had to go, but I was injured a little bit in my hamstring.
“We went there, they checked and said I needed one more month and they want me now.
“If they want me in one week, two weeks, I was not ready, so they had to cancel the transfer, and I went back.
“When I went back, I was very angry.
“Not angry I didn’t sign because when we were on the plane, I told my friend, ‘Don’t worry, better things will come and that’s life.’
“Then I started working more to play with Villarreal. When I came back, I think I scored 12 goals in two months.”
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