FROM playing “Wembley” in his primary-school playground in Reading to playing at Wembley in the Champions League final, Jamie Gittens has already made quite the mark in his fledgling football career.
Yet the exciting winger, who will only turn 21 in August, is now starring at the Club World Cup for Borussia Dortmund and could be on the brink of a mega-bucks move to Chelsea.
Jamie Gittens has followed in the steps of Jadon Sancho to become one of England’s most exciting exports[/caption]
Gittens won the Under-19 European Championships with England[/caption]
He is now in line for a £55m move to Chelsea[/caption]
The Blues have already spent £1.4billion to assemble their current squad, but club transfer chiefs are desperate to bring their former youth star back home.
Reports suggest they have tabled a seven-year offer to tempt him into a Stamford Bridge return, despite a £42million bid being rejected earlier this month.
Gittens – who changed his surname from Bynoe-Gittens on the advice of his father – enjoyed a breakout season in the first team of Borussia Dortmund.
Across 48 games in all competitions before the Club World Cup, 34 of which he started, the England youth star netted 12 goals and added five assists.
His club are said to be expecting him to leave this summer, but he has already etched his name in the history books there.
In October, at 20 years and 75 days old, Gittens became the youngest English player to score against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
And only four months prior in June, he was starring in the Champions League final for the German side against Real, coming on as a late substitute for Jadon Sancho.
In many ways Gittens is a spiritual successor to Sancho.
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Gittens started his career at local side Caversham Trents before he was picked up by Reading aged seven, while also spending some time with Chelsea.
At Under-9 level he stayed with Reading before the Blues and Arsenal showed interest in him at Under-14 level, but he chose to snub both and join Manchester City.
It was a decision that was tough on him and his family due to the three-hour train journey which forced him to stay with a host family and change schools.
Despite the ordeal, Gittens said it was an easy decision to make, telling Secret Scout last year: “It was an easy decision.
“I could have gone to Arsenal but I chose City because they were producing players like Brahim Diaz and Jadon Sancho back then.
“At the start, I didn’t really believe it. I’m from a small town in the middle of nowhere.
“When they told me that they wanted me, I was just surprised, but thought that all the hard work I had put in was paying off.”
Then in 2020, he completed the Sancho-inspired journey to join Dortmund, where he has since developed into one of England’s brightest talents and had the chance to play alongside Jude Bellingham and Sancho.
Martyn Beney, Gittens’ former coach at Caversham, told SunSport last year: “A month into his training with us, we were thinking ‘Christ, this boy has got some serious ability’.
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“His dribbling was incredible, even as a six-year-old. Jamie was a shy boy behind the scenes, with a really nice, sporty family, but they didn’t push him…
“They said they wanted him to be coached in a way where he could enjoy it, learn a few things along the way and can develop naturally. That’s exactly what we did…
“To see him develop and get this chance, which we all know is minimal percentages, from a local level, where his parents still live in the village, is a delight.
“To have mentors like Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham, who really was the first one to tell reporters, ‘Watch this kid, he’s coming up next’ and to know he started with us, is great. It’s a really nice story and one that the club is very proud of.”
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing for Gittens though, with him suffering numerous injuries including operations on both joints and a shoulder issue dating back to when he was 14.
He has also had to make major life changes, cutting out his favourite sugary treats like chocolate and sweets in a bid to make it to the top.
Fast-forward to today, and he has also lost game time since Niko Kovac was appointed on January 29, including playing just eight minutes off the bench in the final two Bundesliga games of the season.
But Chelsea’s interest in Gittens – who won the Under-19 European Championships with England in 2023 – has not faded, and they are set to table another bid of £55m to try and tempt Dortmund into selling.
BLUE MOVERS
CHELSEA have become adept at nicking some of the talent factory from rivals Man City – and it doesn’t look like stopping any time soon.
Jamie Gittens would be the EIGHTH high-profile name to move to Stamford Bridge from The Etihad, sometimes via a couple of other clubs in between – not including Jadon Sancho who spent last season at Stamford Bridge on loan.
Enzo Maresca
Chelsea’s current head coach was once part of Pep Guardiola’s backroom staff at City — and is such of devotee of his former boss he’s known as Diet Pep. Maresca, 45, – who also spent a season as Leicester manager – worked as manager of City’s Under-23 team.
Joe Shields
Chelsea’s Co-Director of Recruitment and Talent, who was poached from Southampton, where he spent just two months after leaving Man City in 2022.
Glenn van der Kraan
Van der Kraan was at City before joining as Chelsea’s academy technical director last October. He was head of coaching at City’s academy
Cole Palmer
The 23-year-old England star made the switch from Man City to Chelsea in 2023 for £40million, potentially rising to £42.5m. Palmer, pictured here with Lavia at Man City in 2021, has become the star man at Chelsea with 37 goals in 68 games for the club.
Romeo Lavia
The Belgium international midfielder, 21, joined Chelsea from Southampton for £53m in 2023. Before that he spent two years at Man City, making one appearance for the first team.
Tosin Adarabioyo
The 6ft5in centre back was at Man City’s academy for four seasons, and made his debut for the first team aged 19. Now 27, he spent four years at Fulham before moving to Chelsea on a free transfer last summer.
Liam Delap
The former City academy star moved to Ipswich for £20m a year ago, before moving to Chelsea for £30m in June.
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