Petit says Chelsea star can ‘be as good’ as Erling Haaland thanks to ‘talented’ teammates
Emmanuel Petit has picked out one current Premier League star can be “as good” as Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.
Haaland’s ridiculous goalscoring record in recent seasons has made him one of the hottest properties in world football.
He’s scored 263 goals in 322 appearances over the past seven seasons for RB Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund and now Manchester City, for whom he scored 108 goals in just 122 games, helping them to the treble in his debut season at the Etihad before bagging a second Premier League Golden Boot last term.
And yet, Petit reckons Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson could “be as good” as the Norwegian marksman as he proves doubters wrong with his brilliant performances under Enzo Maresca after the club were urged by countless pundits to sign a world class centre-forward to replace him in the summer.
“I always knew Nicolas Jackson would turn into a top player, we just had to be patient with him – which is rare with players in football,” Petit told Gambling Zone.
“Right now, the Premier League is full of surprises. Pep has gone seven without a win and now Chelsea are proving everyone wrong. So much has changed in the last ten months.
“Can Jackson be as good as Haaland? Why not? He’s got such amazing players around him, I have no reason to doubt he can replicate the numbers of Haaland.
“He has such talent around him. [Pedro] Neto, [Cole] Palmer, so many players who can give him the ball to score.
“His movement and his understanding with his teammates are great and he’s only going to get better, too.”
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An eight-game winning run for Chelsea, which has put them in the title race with Liverpool and Arsenal, came to an end on Sunday as the Blues were held to a frustrating goalless draw by Everton at Goodison Park.
The result leaves Chelsea four points behind Liverpool ahead of a clash with Fulham on Boxing Day, with Arne Slot’s side also having the benefit of a game in hand.
But Maresca was pleased with his side’s performance despite them failing to find the back of the net.
“That was a real game,” the former Leicester City boss said. “I am very happy because the performance of the boys was fantastic.
“Sometimes you have to play a different game, and we are learning to play a different game. They are one of the best teams in Europe in terms of clean sheets.
“I said to the players that I was more happy than [last week’s] game at Brentford [where Chelsea won 2-1].
“We tried everything. For sure, you can always do something better but we are very happy because this is a tough stadium, not only for us but also [for other teams] in the Premier League.”
