Fabrizio Romano has just release an update on the Nicolas Jackson transfer to Chelsea, which should be completed in the next few days.
The striker has completed the first part of his medical and will do the second today. One very interesting slice of information in there is the news that Jackson will be signing an 8 year deal. That means Todd Boehly and the rest of the ownership are persisting with their policy of securing new players on exceptionally long contacts.
It’s a tactic we’ve seen with all their signings, and January signing Mykhailo Mudryk for example was handed a similarly lengthy deal.
The intentions are clear – keep leverage over the player throughout their peak years, avoid losing players on frees or for reduced fees. But there’s a reason that a lot of clubs don’t do it – you’re locked in to paying that player at that level for the duration. Mudryk is a good example because he’s had a pretty shocking start to his Chelsea career, and there’s still 8 years of his deal left.