Chelsea have completed the signing of Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens.
Expensive transition in place after long negotiations
The Blues had two bids rejected in the first transfer window in connection with the Club World Cup, but negotiations continued. Dortmund insisted on their significant sale price of €65 million, and Chelsea ended up paying the amount.
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The west London-based club officially announced the player’s arrival on Saturday.
Gittens has signed a seven-year contract with the Stamford Bridge club, and as it stands, he is likely to be Chelsea’s starting left winger next season – unless they also choose to move forward with their interest in Manchester United’s outcast Alejandro Garnacho.
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Paying for the potential
The England youth international undoubtedly has great potential, which is reflected in his estimated market value of €68 million. This suggests that Chelsea are getting a good deal for the young player.
But his ETV is also influenced by other factors, such as the contract situation. He was tied to Dortmund until 2028, which significantly increased his value. Right now, Chelsea are only paying for the potential.
Gittens is a weaker Sancho – for now
Gittens has often had to live with comparisons with Dortmund’s previous winger, Jadon Sancho, but living up to those expectations has proven to be a difficult task. In fact, it’s fair to say that Gittens isn’t at the same level as Sancho was when he left for Manchester United in 2021.
Although Sancho has since failed to live up to expectations, he was a more mature winger when he left Dortmund than Gittens is today. Sancho’s decision-making and attacking contributions were levels above what the future Chelsea player has performed.
This is also supported by the most basic figures: goals and assists. Gittens is coming off his best season ever at Dortmund, with 12 goals and five assists in 49 games. In comparison, Sancho recorded 16 goals and a whopping 20 assists in just 38 games in his last season.
Lacks consistency and defensive work
It could be argued that Sancho had better teammates – after all, it was Erling Haaland who created the chances he created – but this doesn’t explain the huge difference in the numbers.
Sancho was a guaranteed starter, while Gittens lost his place in the second half of the season when new head coach Niko Kovac took over. His lack of defensive effort and particularly annoying inconsistency led to Gittens being scrapped, and Dortmund were probably better off without him.
When Gittens has the ball, he often puts his head down and hopes for the best. The foundation for him to become a good winger is there, although his development has been hampered by injury problems. He is fast, can dribble and knows where the goal is.
Long way to go
The problem is that he is still so raw and uneven in his decision-making that he would have trouble establishing himself at the vast majority of top clubs. Chelsea are different, however, because Gittens is exactly the type of player they have secured under Todd Boehly and Clearlake.
But Chelsea fans who expect him to be a significant upgrade from Mykhailo Mudryk and Jadon Sancho can expect a cold shower. He can be a very good player – there’s no doubt about that – but there’s still a long, long way to go.
