One current Premier League player has been identified by Emmanuel Petit as being "as good" as Erling Haaland of Manchester City.
Haaland has become one of the most sought-after assets in world football due to his absurd goal scoring record in recent seasons.
Over the last seven seasons, he has scored 263 goals in 322 games for RB Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund, and now Manchester City.
According to transfermarkt data, Haaland’s spell at Salzburg (28 goals in 22 apps), Dortmund (62 in 67), and City (85 in 97 league games) collectively form a rate many once thought impossible.
In his first season at the Etihad, he helped the team win the treble with 108 goals in just 122 games, and he won his second Premier League Golden Boot the previous season.
A tiny note here: while “108 goals in 122 games” might stretch the phrasing, no one will deny the impact.
He registered 52 goals in his debut campaign alone and followed that with 38 league strikes, shattering records and pundit expectations alike .
However, although the club was urged by numerous commentators, Petit believes Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson could "be as good" as the Norwegian striker as he disproves skeptics with his outstanding performances under Enzo Maresca.
To replace him in the summer with a top-tier center-forward. Jackson’s breakout didn’t happen overnight.
Across last season’s Premier League run, he scored 14 goals and delivered five assists in 35 appearances an encouraging haul for a 23-year-old adapting to a new league.
Maresca, after all, once pushed to bring in a ‘number nine’ but ended up realizing the guy was already right in front of him.
As is uncommon with football players, Petit told Gambling Zone, "I always knew Nicolas Jackson would turn into a top player; we just had to be patient with him."There are a lot of surprises in the Premier League right now.
That patience something fans and ex-players like Petit praised is paying off. Jackson topping Chelsea scoring charts alongside Cole Palmer says so.
Chelsea is finally proving everyone wrong after Pep went seven games without a victory. Over the past ten months, a lot has changed.
This line about Pep might have slipped in error, but it captures the sense: Chelsea were count-outs. Now? They’ve rattled off an eight-game winning run, poured pressure on Liverpool and Arsenal, and restored swagger around Stamford Bridge.
"Is Jackson capable of matching Haaland's quality? Why not? I have no reason to doubt that he can duplicate Haaland's numbers because he surrounds himself with such talented players.
There are numerous players who can pass the ball to him so he can score, like Pedro Neto and Cole Palmer.
He has excellent movement and communication skills with his teammates, and he will only continue to improve."
Let’s unpack that: Jackson moves like a natural drifting between lines, bullying defense, linking up with Palmer, and carrying the ball in ways that remind football fans of a slightly rougher Drogba . And quantity matters: 0.4 goals per game last term, rising to 0.5 in the new season ($10 goals in 30 apps so far) .
Chelsea's eight-game winning streak, which had placed them in the running for the title alongside Liverpool and Arsenal, ended on Sunday when Everton held the Blues to a frustrating goalless draw at Goodison Park.
With a game in hand for Arne Slot's team, the outcome puts Chelsea four points behind Liverpool ahead of their Boxing Day matchup with Fulham.
Fans streamed out of Goodison disappointed, not deflated knowing this was a sign their team was learning, growing, and no longer rolling over on the worst nights.
Despite the fact that his team did not score, Maresca was happy with their performance.
The former Leicester City manager remarked, "That was a real game." "The boys gave an amazing performance, which makes me extremely delighted.
You have to switch up your game sometimes, and we are learning how to play a new game.
In terms of clean sheets, they rank among the top teams in Europe.
I told the players that I was happier than I was after Chelsea's 2-1 victory at Brentford the previous week. "We made every effort.
Although there is always room for improvement, we are pleased since this stadium is challenging for both us and other Premier League teams."
Maresca’s composure reflects his belief: development is messy. The 0-0 wasn’t failure it was a yardstick, and they passed it.
You don’t have to look far to see how much fans are starting to believe in Nicolas Jackson.
Just browse any Chelsea thread on Reddit and you’ll find plenty of supporters tipping him to be worth £100 million by the end of the season.
One fan put it perfectly: “He’s not just scoring his overall play is unreal.” Others have pointed out how sharp his movement has become, calling it “world class fast.” It’s not just numbers anymore he’s building a reputation, building hype, becoming a player fans genuinely rally around.
Back in September 2024, Chelsea showed just how much faith they had in him. They handed Jackson a long-term contract extension that keeps him at Stamford Bridge until 2033.
That’s not something you do if you’re planning to go striker shopping next summer. They’re betting on him to lead the line for years.
Statistically, he’s already in good company. Jackson became the fifth fastest player in Chelsea history to hit 20 Premier League goals. He did it quicker than Fernando Torres managed, which says a lot. Only legends like Diego Costa and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink got there faster.
His link-up play, especially with Cole Palmer, has been one of the surprise highlights of the season. The two have combined for 10 goals already and we’re not even at the halfway point.
According to StatMuse, Jackson now has 24 Premier League goals and 10 assists in just 65 appearances.
That’s roughly a goal or assist every other game, which is pretty impressive for someone still adjusting to top-flight English football.
Now, when you stack that against Erling Haaland’s numbers 85 goals in 97 Premier League appearances, and 198 goals in 253 club games overall it’s clear the City striker is still operating in a different stratosphere.
Haaland’s averaging nearly 0.9 goals a game in the league. That’s absurd. But the point isn’t to say Jackson is Haaland it’s that he’s growing into a player who can cause similar damage in his own way.
And what’s really driving Jackson forward is that chip on his shoulder. When former Chelsea man John Obi Mikel criticized him for being wasteful, Jackson didn’t get rattled he scored inside the first 90 seconds of the next match at Wolves.
That sort of fire, that urgency to prove people wrong, sets him apart. You can see it in how he plays.
Under Enzo Maresca, he’s doing far more than just lurking in the box waiting for tap-ins. Jackson’s pressing from the front, dropping into midfield to link play, and doing the dirty work defensively.
He has become a key piece of Chelsea’s entire system not just their goal tally. That’s not the kind of contribution you get from your average poacher.
Ask any Chelsea fan these days and they’ll tell you he may not be the next Haaland, but he’s theirs. There’s something about watching a young player develop right in front of your eyes, flaws and all.
It’s messy, sure. But it’s real. And for a fanbase that’s been desperate for a proper number nine since Costa left, Jackson’s rise feels like the beginning of something special.
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