‘Chelsea worried about crucial Jamie Gittens factor with deal agreed’
Chelsea have agreed a deal with Borussia Dortmund star Jamie Gittens, but there is one concern regarding his Bundesliga exploits.
The 20-year-old notched 12 goals and three assists in 48 appearances across all competitions for the German giants last season.
Chelsea will have to call upon Gittens next season after fellow winger Mykhailo Mudryk was charged for breaching doping rules.
The Blues failed to sign the former Manchester City academy man before the Club World Cup, while he is now at the tournament with Borussia Dortmund.
Gittens’ game time outlined as a concern for Chelsea
Enzo Maresca’s men have reached the last 16 of the Club World Cup, but will need to add more quality to enjoy success in next season’s Champions League and Premier League campaigns.
Amid the Blues’ quest to sign a new winger, Gittens already has a seven-year contract on the table, as reported by BBC Sport.
But the 20-year-old fell out of favour at Dortmund during the latter stages of the Bundesliga season, once Niko Kovac was appointed as boss in February.
Speaking on talkSPORT’s transfer programme, The Window, [25 June] Jamie Hutchinson asked transfer correspondent Olly Clink: “Towards the end of the season, he (Gittens) wasn’t one of the first names on the Borussia Dortmund team sheet, do you think that will be a worry for Chelsea fans, or is it more about the potential that he’s got?”
Clink replied: “I think it might be a slight worry given the fee that’s being discussed here, £45million.
“I know we live in inflated times, but I think you could argue with some of the transfers Chelsea have made in recent times that they have certainly overpaid. It will be another very long contract again as well for Gittens.
“With any player like this, there is potential that they have maybe a brief period where they’re fantastic, and it’s all very exciting, and they’ve got loads of potential, but we’ve already seen a few of those transfers go wrong for Chelsea already, and with these extremely long contracts it then becomes a little bit more difficult to get them off the books.”
Chelsea fans shouldn’t be concerned by Gittens signing
Football Insider verdict
Even though Gittens endured a lack of game time in the Bundesliga after Kovac’s arrival, he is a talented player who was highly thought of by ex-Dortmund boss Nuri Sahin.
| Jamie Gittens stats | Bundesliga 2024/25 |
| Appearances | 32 |
| Goals | 8 |
| Assists | 3 |
Furthermore, the 20-year-old notched four goals in 14 Champions League appearances last term, proving that he can perform at an elite level.
Gittens should also encounter no problems readjusting to the English game, having come through the Man City academy, the same pathway enjoyed by soon-to-be Chelsea teammates Cole Palmer and Liam Delap.
Delap’s form for the West Londoners is arguably evidence that the Dortmund man can perform at Stamford Bridge next season, as he previously struggled in front of goal in the Championship for the likes of Preston North End and Stoke City.
But after just one successful individual season in the Premier League for Ipswich Town, the 22-year-old has established a rich vein of form in the Club World Cup.
Similarly, Gittens could prove to be an asset for Maresca despite falling down the pecking order at Dortmund.