Chelsea are a club synonymous with transfer failures and several misguided decisions have racked up overtime, draining the club of its resources without having the success to show for it.
Following their Champions League triumph in 2021, which feels like an eternity ago now, the Blues have endured a dramatic tumble from the summit of Europe's elite and have been made to swallow the bitter pill that comes with constantly sacking managers and misfiring in the transfer window.
Chelsea are widely recognised for handing out P45s like hotcakes and a remarkable three managers have taken to the helm since Thomas Tuchel was sacked in September 2022, including Graham Potter, Frank Lampard and Mauricio Pochettino.
Whilst managerial mistakes have proven to be detrimental to their progress on the pitch, their ventures into the transfer market have hardly proven more fruitful.
With the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Kepa Arrizabalaga marking two of their most lucrative failures, Nicolas Jackson is the latest arrival to be met with adulation and criticism in equal measure.
What was said about Jackson when he signed for Chelsea?
Chelsea signed Jackson from Villarreal for £32m this summer and the media instantly latched onto the towering marksman, drawing comparisons to Blues legend, Didier Drogba.
The Frenchman had starred across a glittering career, enjoying spells in Ligue 1, the Turkish Super Lig and the MLS but it would be in the Premier League where he'd truly set the world alight.
Calling time on his period playing, the now 45-year-old finished having scored a staggering 302 goals, 164 of which came at Chelsea, and won all manner of trophies, including the memorable Champions League triumph over Bayern Munich in 2012, four FA Cups and four Premier League titles.
Lavished by his Blues teammates for being "irreplaceable", Drogba was unstoppable in his heyday and was widely recognised for bullying opposition defenders with his strength, rising to the occasion in big game moments and being unbelievably clinical in the final third.
During his time at Stamford Bridge, the former Ivory Coast international truly reached the pinnacle of his powers with Jose Mourinho formerly praising him as "the best striker in the world" in 2007.
Whilst it is too early to say whether Jackson will come close to reaching Drogba's level, sections of the media are planting a heavy weight on the youngster's shoulders and former Blues striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink tends to agree.
He told Sky Sports [via Daily Mail]: "If you talk about Didier Drogba that’s not fair on the boy."
Irrespective of comparisons to Drogba, the sky is the limit for Jackson's potential and he can become a top striker for Chelsea in his own right.
How has Nicolas Jackson performed this season?
Despite struggling in the early stages of his Blues career, media outlets have still lavished praise on Jackson's talents.
Speaking to talkSPORT, former Chelsea defender Scott Minto said: "I really like Nicolas Jackson, and I think if you give him time, he will be a top Premier League striker.
"I look at him and his strong, he is fast, he has defenders hanging off him, he's sharp, and wants to work back for the team. The only thing he is lacking at the moment, is sticking the ball in the back of the net."
Whilst the Senegal international has shown glimpses of Drogba-like talents, namely his strength up against defenders, electric pace and clever movement, the bread and butter of any striker is finishing – and that is where the £65k per-week dynamo has fallen short.
In seven appearances for Chelsea, he's scored twice, although his attacking metrics suggest he could have had many more, missing an astonishing seven big chances, accumulating an xG of 4.09 and a goal conversion rate of 10%, as per Sofascore.
The early stages of Jackson's Premier League career have been marred by lacklustre finishing but considering the physical components of his game are already there, he isn't far away from becoming a very good striker as he attempts to follow in the footsteps of Drogba's near untouchable legacy.
