Unai Emery’s dream Aston Villa reunion could trigger intriguing Chelsea swap deal - opinion
Aston Villa are interested in signing a talented Chelsea forward this summer
Aston Villa are widely reported to be in the market for a new striker this summer following the sale of Jhon Duran to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr back in January.
Unai Emery wants a younger alternative to Ollie Watkins that can provide the England international with plenty of competition over the course of a long and challenging 50+ game season and is believed to be trying to use his Villarreal connections to his advantage to try and prise Nicolas Jackson away from Stamford Bridge.
It’s a transfer that seems to make sense in a lot of ways, given that Emery worked with the striker in Spain for a number of years before replacing Steven Gerrard at Villa Park.
Emery was the first coach to put real trust in Jackson and though he never quite saw the best of him with the Yellow Submarine, it’s clear that the pair had a great relationship and that the Spaniard had a massive effect in helping Jackson reach the top.
“He was starting the pre-season with the U21s and when he was progressively coming to train with us, he was showing his potential,” Emery told Sky Sports in December 2024.
“We worked during the one year on his skill, he improved his understanding better, how he could exploit his potential. And playing minutes and getting experiences was the next step.
“But his attitude as well was fantastic. He was always learning. He was always demanding to train more, to be focused. He was also being a professional every day out of training sessions at home because he was focused on football like the first priority in his life.”
Should Aston Villa look to sign Nicolas Jackson?
Realistically speaking, if Aston Villa are to excel in both Europe and the Premier League it’s likely they’ll need to rely on more than just Ollie Watkins despite the England international’s great appetite for goals.
Watkins is quite possibly Villa’s best striker in the Premier League era alongside the likes of Dwight Yorke. He’s been their top scorer for the last five seasons and sits top of the highest scorers list since 1992. However, he turns 30 in December and asking him to play 50+ matches week in week out could be a tall order, especially if he was to sustain an injury.
In that sense, signing Jackson, aged 24, makes sense. He’s still young, has proven he can score goals with 30 in 81 appearances for the Blues across two seasons, has a good working relationship with Unai Emery and still has plenty of room to grow while offering something different to Watkins.
The issue in getting Jackson, however, could be two factors, his contract length with the 24-year-old committing his future to the London club until 2033, and the fact Villa are at risk of breaching PSR rules.
Villa would likely need to sell at least one big name to leave them in a position to move for Jackson - and similarly could need to make a blockbuster bid, with some outlets such as Mail Sport suggesting £100m would be required.
The blockbuster swap deal Chelsea could look to offer Aston Villa
Six months ago, it would have seemed very unlikely that Nicolas Jackson could leave Stamford Bridge. However, following the signings of Liam Delap from Ipswich Town and Joao Pedro from Brighton, the Blues are now stacked with attacking options, with Christopher Nkunku also still on the books as well.
Jackson was sent off minutes after coming on during the third Club World Cup game against Esperance and was limited to just 30 minutes across the remainder of the tournament, with Enzo Maresca reportedly furious with the Senegalese international.
The 24-year-old may look to leave Chelsea for more opportunities and could see Aston Villa as a great chance to play a big role with the World Cup on the horizon. However, Caught Offside believes that any approach from Aston Villa for Jackson could trigger an alternative problem with Chelsea making a move for one of their prized midfield assets in Morgan Rogers.
Rogers was named among the contenders for the PFA Young Player of the Season award after a sublime campaign which saw him score 14 and assist 15 across all competitions. He is also believed to be valued highly at around £100m but is thought to be player Enzo Maresca rates highly having worked with him in the Manchester City youth team in the past.
Maresca has shown a willingness to sign players from that former City group in the past by landing Liam Delap, Tosin Tosin Adarabioyo and Jadon Sancho (loan) while he also inherited Cole Palmer and Romeo Lavia after replacing Maurico Pochettino.
Would a swap deal make sense for both clubs?
If reports of a swap deal are legitimate then it’s clear it would be more favourable with Chelsea fans than Aston Villa supporters despite Nicolas Jackson’s undoubted qualities.
Morgan Rogers was one of the standout players in the division last term and can seamlessly slot into a team in either the central attacking midfield role or the right wing position, offering Chelsea further competition across the frontline if he was to arrive.
Meanwhile, Jackson would likely be second choice at Aston Villa behind Ollie Watkins if he was to join - and though he’d be impactful, lacks the clinical nature in front of goal that the former Brentford man has. However, if Chelsea were to offer a transfer fee for Rogers and Jackson as a sweetener as part of the deal, it could at the very least be worth considering for Unai Emery and his team.