Bournemouth get 'confidence' boost ahead of Chelsea amid injury crisis

AFC Bournemouth recalled striker Daniel Jebbison from a loan spell with Watford last week ahead of facing Chelsea in Premier League action and the forward has hit the ground running with a goal in the FA Cup.

Andoni Iraola faced travelling to Stamford Bridge without an out-and-out striker available for selection in his squad. The Cherries will make the trip to London without Brazilian talisman Evanilson, who has five top flight goals this season, after the forward underwent surgery on a broken metatarsal following the win over Everton last weekend. Evanilson is now set for a spell on the sidelines after an update provided by the club this week.

Bournemouth are also without striker Enes Unal after the forward suffered a tear to the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a training session. Both Unal and Evanilson only arrived at the club permanently last summer, the former from Getafe and the latter from Porto.

AFC Bournemouth striker breaks duck ahead of Chelsea

In desperation, the south coast side brought Jebbison back to the Vitality Stadium early from his loan stay with Watford. The 21-year-old was thrown into immediate action in the FA Cup fixture against West Brom, coming on in the 67th minute to replace Justin Kluivert.

In the second minute of injury time, Jebbison was put through by Antoine Semenyo and bagged his first goal for the club since arriving from Sheffield United last summer to secure a 5-1 win against the Championship outfit. It's the first sign of form this season for the player ahead of taking on Chelsea, with Jebbison having not scored once in 13 appearances for Watford.

Speaking after the match, Iraola said:  “I said yesterday, we don't really know where he is right now, because he hasn't played a lot of minutes at Watford, especially [the] last weeks and it's good for him.

“He played I think 30 good minutes today. He scored a goal, he had another chance. I think we will also need him and I hope this goal is a good help for him to win some confidence.”

As the player was recalled, Hornets boss Tom Cleverley told the club website: "Jebbo's career isn't going to be defined by this tough experience for him. The loan hasn't gone as well as anyone would have wished, but that doesn't mean there needs to be any resentment left to linger. We wish Jebbo well back at Bournemouth while we consider our next move.”

Jebbison breaks Premier League record

Jebbison signed a four-year deal with AFC Bournemouth last summer and was praised by club chief executive Neill Blake at the time. Blake said: "We're very pleased to have Daniel sign a long-term deal with us. He has many promising attributes and has already provided some memorable moments in his young career so far."

The striker joined Sheffield United in 2018 and became the youngest player ever to score on their first Premier League start at the age of 17 years and 309 days when netting against Everton. He had previously helped the Blades earn automatic promotion to the Premier League in 2023 but made just one appearance last season as the club was relegated to the second tier once again due to injury.

It remains to be seen whether Iraola opts to start Kluivert in the striker role once again when taking on Chelsea on Tuesday evening, or if he takes a punt on Jebbison through the middle. The Blues are without a win in their last four top flight outings, but host Bournemouth buoyed by a 5-0 win over Morecambe on Saturday.