Frank Leboeuf has slammed Chelsea over their ‘absolutely disrespectful’ treatment of Nicolas Jackson after they blocked his loan transfer to Bayern Munich.
And the former Blues defender has told Enzo Maresca that he should not recall the striker or sign a new one despite Liam Delap’s hamstring injury.
Jackson has looked destined to leave Stamford Bridge all summer after Chelsea signed two new centre-forwards: Joao Pedro and Delap.
Bayern Munich won the race for his signature, striking a deal to sign the Senegal international on loan for a fee of £13million, with the option to make the transfer permanent for an extra £56m.
The 24-year-old flew to Munich on Saturday but almost immediately after landing, Chelsea cancelled the deal as Delap had hobbled off during the 2-0 win over Fulham, with fears he could be out for several months.
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The Blues requested Jackson return to London immediately with Bayern reluctantly agreeing, but the player’s agent has insisted this will not happen.
There is still a chance the loan will proceed before the transfer deadline on Monday, with Chelsea now looking at a last-minute deal for Sporting Lisbon star Conrad Harder.
But in a angry rant, Leboeuf lambasted his former club for treating Jackson like an ‘object’ and says he should be allowed to leave, insisting Chelsea have another depth to cope with Delap’s absence.
‘Nicolas Jackson is a human being. He’s not an object,’ the World Cup winner told ESPN.
‘He’s not something you put in the cupboard and when you need it, you get it back out. No, it doesn’t work that way.
‘You don’t want him, you think he’s not good enough for your team, you get rid of him. Even if it’s on loan, it’s because you don’t think he’s good enough to play for you.
‘So therefore, don’t call him back when you have an injury. That’s not fair. That is for me, absolutely disrespectful.
‘Just pay some respect to the player. You picked him. You chose him. He wasn’t good enough, that’s obvious and we all agree with that. He has to go. But respect that you made that decision to get rid of him and to allow him to play for another club.
‘Go with the squad that you have. Chelsea have enough players to cope with the situation. So, leave Nicolas Jackson alone, please.’
Asked how he would react if he were in Jackson’s position, Leboeuf added: ‘I would get crazy. I would call the board and say, “Are you are you kidding me or what?
‘”You don’t want me and now you want me to play for you because you have a player injured? There are some words we can’t say on TV, but I have the right words for you, because you are not respecting me whatsoever.”’
There is little over 24 hours to resolve the situation, with Chelsea, with or without Jackson or Harder, up against west London rivals Brentford in their next game on September 13.
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