Why Chelsea want to sign Jamie Gittens
Jamie Gittens looks set to become the latest member of Chelsea's creche. According to The Athletic, personal terms between the 20-year-old and the West London club have already been agreed, but Borussia Dortmund rejected their latest offer.
His reported seven-year contract would keep him at Stamford Bridge until he's 27, so long as the move works out for all parties, of course. It's an investment in the future, something Chelsea have done a lot of recently, so why is Gittens the latest to be of interest?
Filling a hole
For all the money they've spent, the left-wing position is a weird one at Chelsea. Jadon Sancho has been unceremoniously sent back to Man United, Joao Felix doesn't appear to have any future at the club, and Mykhaylo Mudryk is nowhere to be seen.
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Gittens is a pure left-winger, although he has been deployed in the number ten and as a wing-back previously at Dortmund. He's also right-footed, preferring to cut in and take on a defender and shoot rather than whip in balls, exactly the type of winger that Enzo Maresca seems to love.
The fact that he's young and English is a huge plus. If Chelsea's recent transfer activity is anything to go by, they want the club to be a destination for the best young home-grown talent, filling the squad with top-class international talent when necessary.
Man City connections
Chelsea's Man City links run deep. Cole Palmer is obviously the most prominent; he's become one of the best players in the league since swapping Manchester for London, but there are plenty of other connections between the two clubs, especially behind the scenes.
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Enzo Maresca, and the two directors Joe Shields and Laurence Stewart have all spent time with the Man City academy before moving on and eventually ending up at Chelsea. Those connections are valuable when it comes to learning a player's ability at attitude.
Gittens is just the latest on a long list of players who have spent time at the two clubs, and the way things are going, he's very unlikely to be the last.
An opportunity in the market
Chelsea aren't afraid to pursue what they believe to be an opportunity in the market. Back in January, Dortmund were valuing Gittens at around €100 million, now, it's looking like the youngster will cost around half that after their latest offer of €35 million was rejected.
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Despite what a lot of people may think, Chelsea don't just sign players for the sake of it. In today's market, for a position they've been looking to bolster, the deal for Gittens makes a lot of sense from a financial standpoint.
They'll also be aware of his pretty drastic drop-off in form since the turn of the year. Gittens scored 12 goals and provided three assists in his 48 games last season, but only three of those goal contributions came this year.
Verdict
It's a relatively low-risk deal for Chelsea, so long as they don't pay more than the reported £50 million asking price. Gittens still has a long way to go; he's far from the finished article, but in the right environment and with the right coaching, he could be a quality player.
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