Comparing Nicolas Jackson and Drogba’s Debut Seasons With Chelsea

• Nicolas Jackson had a statistically great debut season at Chelsea in England, but his performances raised questions
• The Senegal international has hit the headlines in the last few days and had a back-and-forth with John Obi Mikel
• His numbers in the 2024/05 season are decent compared to those of Didier Drogba in his first season at Chelsea

Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson recently had a back-and-forth with retired Nigeria midfielder John Obi Mikel, who criticised his finishing.

The Senegal international has a turbulent but decent first season at Chelsea after a worrying start.

He ended the season as one of the club's top scorers, and as the lead striker this season, he will be under pressure to deliver goals again.

Jackson had a similar start to life at Chelsea as club legend Didier Drogba. The young centre-forward drew comparisons to Drogba when the club signed him last season.

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Fans were frustrated with Jackson's performances last season, but stats show he had a better campaign, statistically.

Both strikers arrived at the club undergoing a major rebuild, but Drogba experienced instant success. How do their stats compare?

Didier Drogba's first season with Chelsea

The Ivory Coast legend made his Blues debut in August 2004 and was, interestingly, 26 when he played his first Premier League game. He started playing top-flight football at 23.

He played nine Premier League seasons, all with Chelsea, and scored at least 10 goals in five of those seasons.

In the 2004/05 campaign, he managed 16 goals in 41 games in all competitions and helped the Blues win their first league title in 50 years, per Football London.

Although he didn't have the volume, he scored in the big moments. In 10 cup finals, he bagged nine goals, adding to the iconic header in the 2012 Champions League finals.

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He left the club after scoring 164 goals in 381 games.

Nicolas Jackson's debut season at Chelsea

Jackson started playing European top-flight football with Villarreal in the 2021/22 season. That season, he registered 13 goals in 38 appearances in all competitions, 10 of which were in La Liga.

In his first season at Chelsea (2023/24), he registered 17 goals and six assists in 44 appearances in all competitions. Therefore, Jackson marginally edged Drogba in terms of goals.

However, his team missed out on the Premier League title.

He will be under pressure to produce more consistent performances this season, as they seek to get back to the top.

All stats courtesy of Transfermarkt.

Mikel fires back Nicolas Jackson

Briefly News reported that Mikel Obi responded to Nicolas Jackson after the Chelsea striker told him to shut up following his performance against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

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The club legend admitted he had not said anything bad about the striker but only wanted him to improve, and he would only shut up if he scored every week.

Source: TUKO.co.ke