Chelsea’s £84m transfer problem and why Jamie Gittens might not be the solution

Chelsea are working on a deal to sign Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund this summer. The 20-year-old has been identified as the Blues’ main target for the left wing position following the departure of Jadon Sancho.

The club chose to pay the £5million break clause in Sancho’s contract earlier in the month after an up and down season on loan from Manchester United. A left winger would likely have been pursued even if Sancho remained at Stamford Bridge, but the need for one is far greater now.

Chelsea wanted to bring Gittens in for the FIFA Club World Cup – that begins this weekend – but the Blues were unable to agree a deal with Dortmund for the winger’s signature. An offer of around £42million was rejected by the Black and Yellow, who are holding out for at least £50million, football.london understands.

The expectation, though, is that Chelsea will continue their pursuit of Gittens behind the scenes, with the summer transfer window reopening on June 16. Enzo Maresca is looking to add more goals from wide areas with his current options not able to achieve the return the Italian was after so far in the 2024/25 campaign.

Noni Madueke is Chelsea’s best performing winger this season in terms of goals, with the England international scoring 11 in all competitions. Pedro Neto, meanwhile, has scored only six goals for the Blues since signing from Wolves less than 12 months ago. Tyrique George is also an option, but he has not had anywhere near the first team opportunities as Madueke and Neto, who cost Chelsea a combined total of £84million, have had.

Gittens has enjoyed a fine past three years at Dortmund since making his Bundesliga debut in April 2022. Moving from Manchester City as a teenager, Gittens has followed a path previously pursued by the likes of Sancho and Jude Bellingham at Signal Iduna Park. Now, though, Gittens is ready for the next step in his career.

His underlying numbers, though, are not any better than what Chelsea currently have at their disposal. All of the following statistics are since the 2023/24 season and in all competitions. Gittens has less combined goals and assists (22) than Madueke (26) and Neto (27) in the past two campaigns.

Gittens’ shot total (133/2.9 per 90 minutes) is higher than Neto’s (109/2.1 per 90) but lower than Madueke’s (155/3.5 per 90). The Englishman’s chance creation numbers are lower than both of the Chelsea wingers, too. Gittens has created 56 chances, while Neto has made 109 and Madueke 67.

Though, from a dribbling perspective, Gittens stands tall compared to Neto and Madueke. The Dortmund wide man averages 7.7 attempted dribbles per 90 minutes, with 359 in total. Madueke, meanwhile, averages 5.4 per match and 242 altogether. Neto averages 4.3 per 90 and 220 in the past two seasons combined.

Numbers, of course, are not everything. Chelsea see Gittens as the ideal option for what they are looking for on the left wing. And as his dribbling stats show, he is a very exciting footballer who looks to make something happen more than most people on the pitch.