Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson will sit out Friday’s Premier League trip to West Ham United despite being available pending a possible transfer, head coach Enzo Maresca said on Thursday.

The 24-year-old Senegal international has been linked with Aston Villa, a move that would reunite the player with Unai Emery, his former manager at Spanish side Villarreal.

“He is available, but he’s not going to be part of the squad,” Maresca told reporters.

“We have two strikers, we have two players in that position and also we know that something can happen before the transfer window closes.”

Maresca said he was focused on preparations for the game at the London Stadium and did not know how close a move for Jackson might be. The Premier League transfer window closes on September 1.

The Italian said France forward Christopher Nkunku was in the same situation as Jackson while Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell were training apart “waiting for some solution”.

Media reports have linked Nkunku, 27, with a move to Bayern Munich and his previous club RB Leipzig. Both Nkunku and Jackson have fallen out of favour with Chelsea signing Joao Pedro and Liam Delap earlier in the summer window.

Chelsea is looking for an internal replacement for defender Levi Colwill, who could miss most of the season due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.

Maresca said centre back Wesley Fofana was happy at the club amid speculation he might no longer be part of the manager’s future plans after references to Chelsea were removed from the player’s Instagram account.

“I speak with Wes every day. He’s very, very happy, first of all because he’s back from injury. He’s joining all the sessions,” said the boss.

“As I said after the Palace game, he was on the bench just to be with us. But from tomorrow, he is with us and can also get some minutes. We are happy and he is happy.”

Club World Cup champions Chelsea started the season with a goalless home draw against FA Cup holders Crystal Palace last Sunday. West Ham lost its opening game 3-0 at promoted Sunderland.

Published on Aug 21, 2025