Chelsea told signing Victor Osimhen or Ivan Toney will NOT solve goalscoring problems as former Blues star makes ‘main man’ claim

The Blues are looking to sign a prolific goal-scorer upfront after Nicolas Jackson and Armando Broja have thus far failed to produce the goods for Mauricio Pochettino's men. The Napoli striker is believed to be at the top of the Blues' shortlist, who seem ready to break the bank againto lure him to London from Naples. Toney, on the other hand, is being touted as another name on the shortlist, despite being out of action for more than seven months due to a ban over betting breaches.

However, William Gallas believes that signing either Osimhen or Toney will not necessarily be the solution, as he thinks that they both would struggle to cope with the pressure of the famed Blue jersey.

Speaking to Lord Ping, Gallas said: "If Osimhen or Toney come in, they do not guarantee 20 goals a season, even if they know the Premier League. If you compare their former clubs to Chelsea, there’s a big gap and when you go to Chelsea or another big club, you’re playing with different players and you’re not necessarily the main man.

"It’s more difficult when you’re surrounded by international players and it’s harder to show yourself, especially with the pressure on your shoulders. You’re wearing a jersey of champions, who’ve won the Premier League six times, plus two Champions Leagues and many more trophies including the FA Cups, League Cups and Community Shields! Osimhen may not score 20 goals because of the different players around you."

Instead, Gallas believes that Chelsea should show patience with Jackson and back him to realise his potential at Stamford Bridge.

"If Chelsea sign a new striker like Osimhen, what happens to Jackson? You will lose him. You have to give him the opportunity to be the number one striker and that’s why for me, it’s very difficult to understand what they’re doing," he said.

"At the moment, it’s difficult to understand what the board are doing. They’re just signing so many players and have many players in the same position. If you want to keep Jackson on his feet, you have to finish your season with him to see how many he scores at the end of the season. I think Jackson will score between 15-20 goals this season and it’s not easy to score that many, so he’d have done well."

Jackson has scored seven goals in 16 appearances in the Premier League this season, including a hat-trick against Tottenham Hotspur in a 4-1 triumph.

None of the players will come cheap for Chelsea. While Napoli are likely to demand around €130 million (£112m/$141m) for Osimhen, Brentford will seek £60m ($75m) for Toney. If the Blues end up spending such big money on these players, the fans would hope for an immediate return on investment at Stamford Bridge. Nonetheless, Jackson will get a few more opportunities in December to prove his worth as Chelsea will play three games before the end of the year - starting with a clash against Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday evening.