Winger has major problem to overcome if he wants to establish himself at Chelsea | OneFootball

Before Chelsea signed Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund this summer, we were told that he was something of a “project” that would need some work.

Even despite that, we probably underestimated how much work Gittens was going to need.

Malouda tells Gittens to believe in himself

Florent Malouda doing punditry.

Florent Malouda spoke to the Athletic today about his own first year issues at Chelsea and how he overcame them:

“It’s a learning process,” Malouda said.

“When you are so young and join a club like Chelsea, you have to build your confidence. It is part of the journey. The talent is there [with Gittens], it is how you are able to perform at this level. When you are young, you have to be fearless, that is the only way.

““The club believes in him, it is just how he is able to prove to the people at the club who put their trust in him that he belongs to this club.”

Gittens’ big problem is more than his own mentality

There is a much bigger problem for Gittens than just his personal struggles, however. Right now, it’s the quantity and quality of of his opposition that’s causing a problem. Alejandro Garnacho has quickly become a Maresca favourite, Pedro Neto already was. Estevao Willian is a rising star. When Cole Palmer is back, he could also be used more on the wing too. Next summer, Geovany Quenda is coming into the mix.

It’s going to be very tough for Gittens to play much at all.

The flip side of that can be seen as a positive is that it should allow Gittens to continue to learn without the pressure of playing every week on him. He will get his chances in the cups and as a sub, and as long as he continues to develop, his first team chances will be back at some point.