What Aston Villa must do to have Nicolas Jackson eligible to play against Arsenal
Arsenal travel to Villa Park for the second game of the season on Monday night.
Aston Villa is traditionally a difficult fixture for Mikel Arteta, particularly since Unai Emery has been at the helm.
However, this is as good a time to play against them, after their Europa League-winning squad has been somewhat ravaged.
Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, Lucas Digne and, of course, Ezri Konsa have all left, and Ollie Watkins and Emi Martinez are set to follow them out the door.
Arsenal signed Konsa last week in a deal worth £55million, and the defender could now be set to make his debut against his former club.
With Watkins on his way to Saudi Arabia and both Tammy Abraham and Brian Madjo out injured, Villa are currently without a recognised striker for the game.
That is, unless they complete a deal in time for Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea.
Could Nicolas Jackson play against Arsenal on Monday?
Villa have agreed a deal worth a total package of £65million for Jackson, but whether he will be available to face Arsenal depends entirely on whether they meet the Friday midday registration deadline.
For Jackson to be eligible to play on Monday night, Villa need to have him signed, personal terms finalised and registered with the Premier League by midday tomorrow.
That gives them a very tight window to get everything over the line.
If that deadline isn’t met, Villa may be forced to continue with Emi Buendia as their number nine.
That would surely give Arsenal and Arteta a massive advantage.
If Jackson is eligible, though, that could cause a problem. The 25-year-old Senegal international previously worked under Unai Emery at Villarreal, where he scored 13 goals.
You would think that history has clearly convinced Emery to push for the signing.
Jackson spent last season on loan at Bayern Munich, scoring eight goals in 23 appearances, before Chelsea ultimately agreed to sell permanently.
Right now though, Villa are working against the clock.
And on the other side, Konsa is preparing to return to Villa Park for the first time in Arsenal colours.
