Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson has revealed he was close to joining Aston Villa before heading to Stamford Bridge.
Jackson is set to join the Blues for £30m in 2023 but was close to following former Villarreal boss Unai Emery to the Premier League title before then.
“When Unai left he wanted me to come to Aston Villa but I got injured,” Jackson said.
“I wanted to move because the coach was there. I wanted to go, but I had a little injury in my hamstring. We went there, they checked and said I need a month and they want me now.”
“If they wanted me in a week or two, I wasn’t ready, so they canceled the transfer and I went back.”
Jackson opened up about his feelings after the deal fell through, adding: “When I went back, I was really angry.”
“I’m not mad that I didn’t sign the contract because when we were on the plane, I told my friends, ‘Don’t worry, good things are coming and that’s life.’
“Then I started training โปรโมชั่น ufabet more to play with Villarreal. When I came back, I think I scored 12 goals in two months.”
He added: “I think that’s the most important thing in life, that the people that you have near you, especially football players, are people that try to help you to be the best, not do whatever you want,” Jackson explained. “I was flying for that two or three months [with Villarreal], I was scoring every weekend.
“After that, I knew what I had to do to be what I wanted to be. Then I came to Chelsea and it’s a different club, with the pressure and everything. But now I’m feeling better and as I’m playing I’m getting more experience.”