Jamie Gittens joined Chelsea in 2025 for a whopping 56 million euros after what was really only a great half season, and unlike Nicolas Jackson at Villarreal, he was really only great in the first half of the 2024/25 season for Borussia Dortmund up until Niko Kovac’s arrival made BVB more defensive (to their benefit).
But the England international showed enough explosiveness and dribbling quality to make the Blues invest heavily in him as a solution on the left wing, which has been a gaping hole for them.
Gittens flopped miserably in his first season at Chelsea, and while an adjustment period was always going to be necessary for an especially raw player who did take a lot of time to come good at Dortmund in the first place, it was jarring to see how much he struggled.
Despite many wanting Gittens out and Morgan Rogers now coming in as a nine figure transfer for the left wing, Chelsea are blocking even loan interest from big clubs like AS Roma in Serie A.
Xabi Alonso must see something in Gittens, and he did see him closely while coaching Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, including when Die Werkself went undefeated in the 2023/24 season.
The Spanish manager is Gittens’s last chance to make an impact at Chelsea, but given what he has done with young talents at Leverkusen, he is a big chance. And Gittens now has extra motivation to prove someone who believes in him right. I wouldn’t write him off just yet, as bad as he was last season.
Purveyor of footy since the 90s. Favor the Premier League and old school Serie A with a touch of Bundesliga. More than a touch. Professional writer for 20 years, covering every sport but now focused on the Premier League and world football. You won’t be able to guess my favorite team.