Nicolas Jackson has revealed that he picked the brain of Sadio Mane before completing a season-long loan move to Bayern Munich this summer.
Chelsea bosses informed Jackson he was free to leave on a temporary basis after the club strengthened their attack with the addition of Joao Pedro, Alejandro Garnacho, Jamie Gittens, Estevao and Liam Delap.
An injury to Delap very nearly saw Jackson’s switch to Bayern fall apart, though, with Chelsea telling the Senegal international he had to fly back from Germany to join up with Enzo Maresca’s squad again.
However, the Blues went on to recall Marc Guiu from his loan at Sunderland, allowing Jackson to join the Bundesliga champions in the final few hours of the transfer window.
It’s understood Bayern paid an initial fee of £14million and have the option sign Jackson permanently for £56m next summer – but only if the striker makes a set number of appearances.
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Jackson will no doubt be itching to make his Bayern debut this weekend when Vincent Kompany’s side return to top-flight action at home to Hamburg.
On the drama that preceded his loan move, Jackson told Tuttosport: ‘I never doubted that I would sign with Bayern, so I took the situation calmly.’
Jackson will become only the third Senegalese player to wear Bayern’s colours when he makes his debut, following in the footsteps of Bouna Sarr and national hero Mane.
‘Sadio is not only a Senegal legend, but also someone I admire greatly,’ Jackson said of fellow countryman Mane, who enjoyed one season in Munich after leaving Liverpool in 2022.
‘He has opened so many doors for us with his performances.
‘We exchanged a few messages when discussing my transfer.’
Asked whether Mane had passed on any pearls of wisdom before he agreed to join Bayern, Jackson replied: ‘He told me that Bayern is a big family with a great winning culture.
‘His advice was simply: ‘Work hard, stay humble, and be yourself.’
F’or him to say that means a lot to me.’
Jackson insists there is no bad blood between him and Enzo Maresca and is thankful for his last two years at Stamford Bridge.
He explained: ‘Football is full of cycles. Sometimes things don’t go as they should and that’s part of the game.
‘I respect coach Maresca. I learned a lot from him and 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.’
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