Just last week, Obi Mikel was having another pop at Jackson. After being accused of undermining "an African brother", as Jackson responded to initial criticism from the Nigerian, Obi Mikel wasn't shy in having a new dig at the Senegal striker just days ago.
In full, Obi Mikel stated: "I’ve always said what I’ve said about Nicolas Jackson. He is a good player, there is not once I have ever said he is a bad player.
"The only criticism is his finishing needs to be much better. In terms of giving us what we want, being in the right place at the right time, he does for the team."
Obi Mikel added: "I don’t think he agrees to that but I think everyone will understand what I am saying. It’s not coming from a bad place, it’s a really constructive criticism."
As a Chelsea player, Obi Mikel won two Premier League titles, a Champions League, a Europa League and four FA Cups. With such a record, of course his words should carry weight. But also, with that record, Obi Mikel is speaking as a Chelsea player that has long been lost to the past. The former midfielder might as well be speaking about another club - let alone another time.
This isn't the Chelsea that Obi Mikel had to fight to gain a footing in when first arriving from Lyn Oslo as an 18 year-old. Yes, Chelsea stared down Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United to land Obi Mikel's signature almost 20 years ago. But no-one inside that Blues dressing room was rolling out the red carpet. He had to fight for everything. And against some of the greatest players the Premier League have seen. Obi Mikel arrived with the expectation of competing and playing for silverware. And not just Cups, but the Premier League and Champions League. That was the standard of Chelsea back then. That was the benchmark Obi Mikel had to push for every day.
But such expectations - for today's Chelsea player - are now long gone. Away wins at Bournemouth and West Ham are good results. The 5-0 Cup rout of Barrow the same. But the difference for Obi Mikel is that such results, for his Chelsea, were expected. The chance of anything but such victories were next-to-zero. And that's why Jackson does deserve some sympathy.
In his initial critique of Chelsea's No15, Obi Mikel lamented that, "...we knew this problem from last season, to get a striker who will score goals. Jackson, he does a little bit here and there. We (Chelsea) need a top striker like we did back in our day.
"Didier Drogba, we knew, if you give him two or three chances he will score one. We see (Erling) Haaland today."
But that's just it, Chelsea do not shop for the Drogbas or Haalands today. It's debatable whether they could even attract such top tier talent - just consider the on-off mess regarding Victor Osimhen in the final days of the market.
For today's Chelsea. The one that aspires for European places and a decent Cup run, Jackson is proving himself an outstanding striker. Yes, he's not one to make the difference in decisive, title winning games like a Drogba - but that's not the level Chelsea are now competing at.
Instead, we're talking about a 23 year-old striker leading the line of a team in development. No expectations of major silverware. No belief of actually reaching the very summit of the European game. Such targets were actually white-hot demands for past Chelsea dressing rooms. But not today. And for a young team. With an inexperienced manager. Jackson is meeting his mark.
Four goals in six games this season. 17 in 44 last term. They're solid numbers for a team - and board - that will celebrate if a fifth or even sixth place finish is secured this season. Jackson suits this team. He's their level. It should be remembered, if not for a failed medical, Jackson would be a Bournemouth player today. Indeed, remove the price-tag and player-for-player, is there really so much difference between the personnel (and coaching staff) of Chelsea and the Cherries?
When Obi Mikel takes aim at Jackson, he's hitting the wrong target. It's Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, with the help of Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, who have dismantled the Chelsea he helped establish. Jackson, with his talent, attitude and effort, isn't the problem. It's those above him who have dropped standards and expectations. That Chelsea allowed Osimhen to slip the net deserves greater scrutiny from the English press. Does the ambition that Obi Mikel has been calling for, actually exist?
Indeed, if Jackson was performing like a Haaland or Drogba, would he be satisfied playing for today's Chelsea? That's the difference. Jackson is an outstanding player for this Chelsea team. But it's a Chelsea team unrecognisable from the days of Obi Mikel. In this debate, both men can actually be right.