Former Chelsea attacker, Carlton Cole, has expressed surprise over Chelsea’s decision to offload their main striker, Nicolas Jackson.

Nicolas Jackson netted 30 goals in 81 appearances for the Blues.

Following an injury to Liam Delap, Chelsea wanted Jackson back at Stamford Bridge but the Senegalese rejected the call and insisted on remaining in Germany.

The Bundesliga giants will sign the player on a permanent basis at the end of the season depending on the number of appearances he will make this season.

“I still like Nicolas Jackson,” Cole told Boyle Sports.

“I know people give him a hard time, but he’s the type of striker who will run tirelessly for you, even if he doesn’t always get the reward or fluffs his lines in front of goal.

“You know he’s putting in the effort. If you looked at his running stats, they would be off the charts, and that’s why he held that shirt for quite a while.

“He’ll work hard for his teammates, he’ll be a teammate’s dream really. It’s only when he wants to get greedy and goes out of his shell to try and be the main man that it goes wrong for him. That’s what I’ve noticed.

“I don’t think Joao Pedro is a replacement for him, and I’m not saying he’s an improvement on him; I’m just saying he’s a different type of player,” he said.

The Senegalese International is a second-choice striker at Bayern Munich where he is being used as back-up to England captain Harry Kane.

Since joining the Bundesliga giants, Jackson has scored one goal in six appearances.