Goalless in London: Jamie Gittens’ tough start at Chelsea | OneFootball

Chelsea FC put a lot of money on the table. To be precise: around 56 million euros, which could rise to 65 million euros. Jamie Gittens (21) returned to his homeland in the summer of 2025. However, the former Borussia Dortmund striker has not yet made a breakthrough with the Blues.

At the age of seven, Gittens had already worn the London club’s jersey for six months. After a 13-year break, he put it on again at the start of the 2025/26 season. “I’ve always dreamed of this, because I’m from here… and playing for Chelsea is even bigger,” he said happily in an interview with his new club at the end of August.

“I’m so happy to be on the pitch,” he said about his return to English football. “I already had goosebumps during the warm-up. I felt like a little kid stepping onto the pitch.” On the very first matchday, Gittens was in the starting eleven at Stamford Bridge for the 0-0 draw against cup winners Crystal Palace.

“Taking the next step in his career”

The winger was on the pitch for all four of the Blues’ matches. The club’s record, however, is better than that of the ex-Dortmund player. Chelsea won two games and drew twice. Gittens, on the other hand, has yet to record a single goal involvement—a rather sobering statistic for a striker. Yet, the 21-year-old sees it as his job to “create chances for the team,” as he himself says.

For Dortmund, the U21 international played a total of 107 matches, scoring 17 goals and providing 14 assists. “Jamie repaid the trust placed in him with commitment, performance, and goals,” said sporting CEO Lars Ricken (49) as he bid farewell to the youngster. Sporting director Sebastian Kehl (45) added: “Jamie is an outstanding player who has brought us a lot of joy. Now he wants to take the next step in his career at Chelsea.”

The two club officials highlighted the financial benefit of the transfer (“signed virtually for free”). However, Gittens’ sporting development stagnated in his last year at Dortmund. In the first half of the 2024/25 season, he impressed with eleven goals and five assists across all competitions. In contrast, he fell well short of expectations in the second half of the season, scoring only once.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.