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Chelsea summer signing Nicolas Jackson has been told he looked like a League Two striker after his performance against Bournemouth over the weekend. The 22-year-old, who arrived at Stamford Bridge from Villarreal for a reported fee of £32m, has scored just once in his first five games for the Blues despite an Expected Goals ratio of 3.3.

Against the Cherries, Jackson hit the post in the first half and saw one of his shots on his left foot in the second half go wildly away from its target in a showing that perfectly summed up Chelsea's afternoon. Having arrived in the Premier League with really only a 12-game run in La Liga under his belt, there's a lot of pressure the youngster has to deal with already.

Couple that with the significant amount of injuries to the entire Chelsea squad and Jackson has been asked to lead the line alone up front with only youth prospects as his backups. His attempts at getting into the right positions and making runs in behind the defensive line have actually been quite impressive, but the final pass or execution of the finishes just haven't fallen for the Senegalese international yet.

Now with reports suggesting the Blues could look towards Brentford striker Ivan Toney in the January transfer window, it might make life a bit easier for Jackson going forward if he has some backup and opportunities for a rest. The imminent return of Armando Broja into the fold will also provide the 22-year-old with a bit of respite.

He's not the only player struggling in front of goal in the Chelsea side though, with him being just one of 12 players underperforming their xG while only three of his teammates are over-performing the statistic. Now, former Arsenal defender Lee Dixon believes that the 22-year-old is completely out of confidence in front of goal, and that his teammates around him aren't helping the situation.

"Jackson looks like he’s devoid of all confidence in front of goal," Dixon claimed on NBC Sports' The Two Robbies podcast. "I was watching him in the game [against Bournemouth] playing on the shoulder and he makes some good little runs.

"I think that’s why he catches your eye when you first see him play at the start of the season, and you think: "Oh, hang on, he's got a bit of something here'. He stretches the player, little spins on the shoulder, gets in behind and that's never a bad thing.

"If you do that, you've always got half a chance. He gets in those positions but what happens after that… Some of his shooting today, wow. It was like League Two.

"That can’t be his finishing because he wouldn’t ever get a chance to play at that level. There’s a huge lack of confidence. I'm sure it doesn't help playing in a side that's what... 14th or 15th now."

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