Nicolas Jackson insists he bears no ill will towards Enzo Maresca despite his ‘sad’ Chelsea exit this summer.
The Senegal international was Chelsea’s only established centre forward option for the past two seasons in Stamford Bridge, scoring 30 goals in 81 matches.
Despite erratic finishing, he retained the faith of his manager but a costly red card against Newcastle United in April – his second of the season – followed by another four minutes after coming off the bench in a Club World Cup match saw him lose the manager’s trust.
By July, Chelsea had signed two more strikers in Liam Delap and Joao Pedro with Jackson suddenly finding himself third choice.
Bayern Munich offered him a way out, joining the German giants on an initial season-long loan deal priced at £14.3million.
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Bayern are obligated to sign him permanently for £56.2m next summer providing he makes a set number of appearances.
‘[There were] very strong emotions, but not for the reasons you might think,’ Jackson said of his exit to Italian outlet Tuttosport.
‘I was simply very happy to sign for one of the biggest clubs in the world, to discover another league and other great players.
‘At the same time, I was a little sad to leave Chelsea, my teammates, and the fans. I experienced so many strong emotions there: we won the Conference League and the Club World Cup.
‘Now I’m 100% focused on my new project and I can’t wait to experience the incredible atmosphere at the Allianz Arena.’
Jackson was described as the ‘perfect no.9’ by his manager as recently as April but he found his circumstances in west London change very quickly over the summer.
Despite that, the former Villarreal star looks back fondly on his time working with Maresca..
‘Football is full of cycles. Sometimes things don’t go as they should, and that’s part of the game.
‘I respect Maresca, I learned a lot from him, he has his own ideas and style.
‘I just needed something different at this stage of my career. I have no regrets, just gratitude for my time at Chelsea.’