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4 hours ago
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Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is a happy man right now following his team’s success in the 2024-25 season.
Under his stewardship, the Blues managed to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League and also clinched the UEFA Conference League.
Chelsea now has the opportunity to get their hands on the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup in the USA.
However, the club’s co-sporting directors, Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, risk upsetting Maresca if they sanction the sale of one Chelsea player.
Stewart and Winstanley could have a big decision to make during this transfer window, with Aston Villa thought to be interested in Nicolas Jackson.
According to GiveMeSport, Unai Emery is eyeing a reunion with the striker, whom he worked with at Villarreal.
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There has been a lot of speculation about Jackson following Chelsea’s acquisition of Liam Delap and interest in Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike.
Enzo Maresca won’t want to see Nicolas Jackson at a rival club
Maresca is a huge fan of Jackson and has praised the 23-year-old on more than one occasion.
When Maresca spoke about Jackson after one game last season, the Italian said: “For me, he is doing very well. I have said many times, since we started, he is working hard on the ball and off the ball.”
With Villa also being one of Chelsea’s top-six rivals now, that gives Maresca another reason to be against the idea of selling Jackson to them. The Blues would be strengthening a fellow contender for Champions League qualification.
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