Chelsea is making moves in the transfer market yet again, and this time they have their sights set on Jamie Gittens, a winger from Borussia Dortmund. This young English talent made the leap to Germany as a teenager and, just like Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham before him, he’s really come into his own. So, how should the fans at Stamford Bridge feel about this 20-year-old?
Dortmund has been like a finishing school for young players, especially for English talent, and now another one is on the verge of a big switch. Gittens is heavily rumored to be heading to Chelsea, and the Blues are racing against the clock to get him signed before Tuesday's transfer deadline—especially since they want him registered for the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup.
Enzo Maresca is looking to bolster his attacking options, and snagging Gittens could be a key part of that plan. But what exactly does Gittens bring to the table in west London? And how does he stack up against Chelsea’s current roster? Well, TNT Sports has crunched the numbers since the start of the 2023/24 season, including stats from any time Chelsea players have spent at other clubs in the top five European leagues.
Now, Gittens is known for his dribbling skills, but it’s not just his finishing that has caught Maresca's eye. In fact, his stats over the last couple of seasons outshine those of Chelsea's existing wide players. Eurosport’s German football expert, Leopold Grunwald, even compared him to a young Ousmane Dembele, saying, “He plays with high pace, a lot of creativity, and he’s just a nightmare to defend against one-on-one.” That’s quite a compliment!
When you look at the numbers, it makes sense. Dembele has completed 185 dribbles with a success rate of 2.7 dribbles per 90 minutes this season, while Gittens has not only completed 170 but has an even better success rate of 3.7 per 90. That “nightmare” dribbling ability was on full display when he scored a stunning goal against Club Brugge.
Now, shifting gears a bit, let’s talk about Dembele. This season has been tough for him, with injuries and setbacks. After one match, he looked pretty down, trudging through the mixed zone at Stamford Bridge after being benched. With just three starts and nine appearances under his belt, it’s safe to say things haven’t gone as planned.
A lot of this can be traced back to last summer before he even joined Barcelona. He went on strike to push through his move from Dortmund and ended up being separated from the squad, which meant he missed a lot of critical preparation time. By the time he finally got to Barcelona, he wasn’t in peak condition.
He had to wait until January to make his comeback, but of course, the injury flared up again during just his second substitute appearance. And in a match against Getafe, he gave the ball away an astonishing 13 times in just 27 minutes. Yikes.
There are also concerns about his diet—Barcelona even got him a personal chef to help him eat better. Plus, he still struggles to communicate in Spanish with his teammates, which can’t be easy.
Despite all these challenges, the club remains hopeful that he will turn into a key player at Camp Nou. Valverde is playing it cautious, and considering Dembele is still just 20, there’s really no rush. But given his injury history and the lack of a proper pre-season, it could take a while before fans see Dembele at his best in a Barcelona shirt.
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Dortmund has been like a finishing school for young players, especially for English talent, and now another one is on the verge of a big switch. Gittens is heavily rumored to be heading to Chelsea, and the Blues are racing against the clock to get him signed before Tuesday's transfer deadline—especially since they want him registered for the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup.
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