Jamie Gittens: ‘A young Ousmane Dembele’ – What can this 20-year-old ‘nightmare’ bring to Chelsea?

With Borussia Dortmund once again acting like a finishing school for young players, and particularly for English talent, another graduate is closing on a big move.

The 20-year-old, who moved to Germany as a teenager from Manchester City’s academy, has followed a path trodden by the likes of Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham, and is now at a stage in his career to make the next step.

With Enzo Maresca looking to strengthen his attacking options, Chelsea have swooped for the talented youngster, with hopes of continuing his development at Stamford Bridge.

But what does Gittens bring to west London? And how does he compare to what they have already?

TNT Sports crunches the numbers since the start of the 2023/24 season, with any stats for Chelsea players including any time spent at other clubs in the top five European leagues over that period.

Since his breakthrough season in 2023/24, Gittens’ 14 goals are only bettered by Noni Madueke of Chelsea’s existing wide forward options – but these numbers might have been even better.

Amid a tumultuous campaign for Dortmund this past year, the arrival of Niko Kovac as manager in February, as well as a change to a 3-4-2-1 formation, saw Gittens struggle to nail down a starting place in his favoured wide left position in the latter months of the season.

Kovac would often leave Gittens on the bench or attempt to fit him into a more narrow attacking midfield role, resulting in him finding the target just once between January and May.

Both the player and his new club will hope a more consistent run on the left for the Blues will see a return to form in front of goal.

Goals and assists in all competitions since 2023/24

Gittens is hardly shy about taking a chance when he gets a sight of goal, averaging about three shots per 90 minutes of football and one on target.  

There is a variation to the types of shots he attempts and goals scored. Gittens can ghost into the penalty area and finish like an archetypal poacher, as seen here against Real Madrid in the Champions League last season…

Or he can unleash a banger from distance if need be, as seen against Dinamo Zagreb…

Shots in all competitions since 2023/24

An accomplished dribbler, it’s not just Gittens’ finishing that made him a prime target for Maresca, with his numbers over the last two seasons exceeding those of the Blues’ current and most recent options in wide positions.

“In terms of his playing abilities he reminds me of a young Ousmane Dembele,” claimed Eurosport German football expert Leopold Grunwald.

“He plays with a high pace, a lot of creativity and is a nightmare to defend against one-on-one.”

The comparison to Dembele is not an unfair one in this regard. The Ballon d’Or contender has completed 185 dribbles with a success rate of 2.7 dribbles per 90 minutes since the start of the 2023/24 season, compared to Gittens’ 170 and greater success rate of 3.7 per 90.

This “nightmare” ability was on display with his stunning goal against Club Brugge…

“He’s got the X-factor”, said TNT Sports pundit Karen Carney back in March.

“He can do things other people can’t. Magic feet, quick feet, and can finish.”

Dribbles in all competitions since 2023/24

One area in which Gittens and perhaps Chelsea might be looking for improvement is his creative output.

“His biggest weakness is his lack of consistency,” said Eurosport’s Grunwald.

On paper, the player’s arrival won’t add much in terms of the chances created metric, with him posting lower numbers than existing players, including the departing Jadon Sancho.

However, with Maresca and Chelsea prioritising his goals, the creativity may not be a major issue in the initial stage.