With another transfer window comes another couple of months when Chelsea have their name around nearly every rumor. And what’s different about this Chelsea era versus another big club who are always making headlines, is that Chelsea usually get the deals done. While their spending over the last few years may be controversial, one could make the argument it’s been a success, with a top-four finish and Conference League title coming in 2025 on the backs of big money signings like Moises Caicedo. This of course means that The Blues won’t be shifting away from their transfer strategy of signing Europe’s best young players on seven-plus-year contracts, and Jamie Gittens fits the bill perfectly.
According to The Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg, Chelsea had shortlisted Gittens above Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams and Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho and were willing to pay Borussia Dortmund up to £50 million. However, Chelsea did not have a bid accepted before the mini-transfer window for Club World Cup teams closed. Despite this, The Athletic reports that Borussia Dortmund expect Gittens to complete a move to England and will engage in face-to-face talks during the CWC.
Jamie Gittens is not what Chelsea needs right now
The problem may be that the young English winger may fit Chelsea’s squad *too* perfectly, and be an unnecessary addition to a group of Chelsea wingers that more or less do the same thing. Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca likes to keep his wingers as the widest players on the pitch, while both of his fullbacks find different areas of space to be effective in.
In turn, Noni Madueke, Pedro Neto, and Jadon Sancho ranked third, sixth, and 11th in progressive carries per/90 amongst Premier League starters last season. Jamie Gittens was ranked first in the Bundesliga. Gittens also ranks third in Europe’s top five leagues in successful take-ons per/90 at 4 per game.
But what Gittens lacks is what Chelsea also lack, a killer edge in the final third, and one that is able to influence the game off-the ball. While there’s no doubt that Madueke, Neto, and Gittens as well, can create shots for themselves using their direct dribbling, they lack the anticipation and positioning that an attacker in a possession-based team needs.
Madueke was the best of the wingers at 11 goals with Neto at eight across all competitions, and while these aren’t bad numbers, goal-scoring is not their strong suit. Madueke is one of Europe’s best and most aggressive dribblers, and Neto loves to whip crosses in, behind them at Chelsea is only Tyrique George who is even farther away from being a true goal scoring threat as the other two. With Christopher Nkunku leaving and Nicholas Jackson’s future at the club becoming uncertain, Chelsea need to bring in a player capable of scoring goals consistently at the highest level now that they’re back in the Champions League.
Perhaps Champions League winner Bradley Barcola, who finds himself as a third/fourth choice winger at PSG is the best option. The Frenchman who was linked to Chelsea in the past had the ninth most expected goals and tenth most key passes in the competition, as well as the eighteenth most shots on target amongst all players in Europe’s top 5 leagues, proving he’s able to contribute closer to goal.
After all, a player like that who is reliable in front of goal is what Enzo Maresca has been asking for. “Probably I prefer to have four players scoring ten goals each than one striker scoring forty goals,” Maresca said in a post-match interview. “I think also the last Premier League and Conference [League] we said many times that we want a player that they can score, they can assist, and they can play many different positions.”
While Madueke, Neto, George and Gittens are impressive attackers in their own right, the abilities they have align too closely with one another to offer something special to this Chelsea attack. The Dortmund winger is no doubt one of Europe’s most promising dribblers and speedy wingers, but he isn’t what Chelsea needs to inject a goal-scoring threat into their team as they look to compete at the highest level in Europe.