Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has made a bold comparison between Nicolas Jackson and Didier Drogba.

Speaking to the club’s official website, Pochettino said that the Senegalese international’s goal return is not dissimilar to the club legend’s first campaign at Stamford Bridge:

“I’ve always said that I really believe in him and I really believe that he is going to be very successful here because he has the quality and the capacity.”

“Now he is doing much better, but he still needs to improve a lot. The numbers are similar to Drogba’s first season and that maybe gives the fans more belief in him, to be a little bit more patient with him.”

Is Pochettino’s claim accurate?

Drogba scored 10 Premier League goals in his first season with the Blues, as well as hitting the back of the net 6 times in other competitions.

Jackson, meanwhile, has scored 9 goals in 23 league appearances, in addition to 3 more in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup. Pochettino is, therefore, right to compare the two.

Will Jackson have the same impact as the Chelsea legend?

While Pochettino is clearly trying to defend his player with his comments, mentioning Drogba is not that helpful as he puts more pressure on Jackson.

Drogba won four Premier League titles and scored 164 goals in 381 games for Chelsea. There is a long way to go before Jackson can even be mentioned in the same breath.

It’s hard to predict how much of an impact he will have at Stamford Bridge at this stage. At 22 years of age, he is still developing as a player. There have definitely been some promising signs in recent weeks, and he is beginning to exhibit some traits that will hold him in good stead for the future. The key for Jackson is to continue working hard and he will get his rewards.