'Grateful' - Jamie Gittens Shares What Xabi Alonso Has Done For Him in Chelsea Training | OneFootball

What Chelsea can expect from Xabi Alonso for the remainder of pre-season. Video Credit: Absolute Chelsea

Chelsea winger Jamie Gittens has revealed why he is grateful that “hands-on” Xabi Alonso is now in charge of the team as the manager after Tuesday’s pre-season win.

Coming on in the second half, the young winger scored Chelsea’s second equaliser before Joao Pedro’s hat-trick eventually secured the win in the final 10 minutes of the game.

Gittens admitted that he has enjoyed his time under Alonso so far in the pre-season.

“He’s been very hands-on with me, especially,” Gittens told Chelsea’s in-house media team when speaking about Alonso.

“He’s been very - how would I call it - positive towards me. He's a great coach and a great guy to be around.

“For him to be giving me advice in these games and training sessions is the best thing for me and for the team as well, especially. So I'm grateful that he is our coach.”

A fresh challenge for Gittens at Chelsea

Having joined from Borussia Dortmund last summer, Gittens has not established himself as a regular starter at Chelsea.

The 21-year-old mostly shared minutes with Alejandro Garnacho on the left wing in the first six months at the club and had to miss out on the rest of the season after sustaining a hamstring tear in January.

Gittens finished the season with 15 Premier League appearances, only five of which were as a starter.

Gittens scores Chelsea's third goal against Western Sydney Wanderers as Joao Pedro looks on. REUTERS/Hollie Adams

Across all competitions, Gittens provided one goal and five assists from 27 appearances, which is quite underwhelming compared to the season he had with Borussia Dortmund in 2024/25.

The new season is a fresh start for the England U-21 star under a new manager.

That said, the competition for the left winger spot is not getting any easier despite Garnacho’s loan move to Aston Villa.

Chelsea have brought in Morgan Rogers on a club-record fee, and he is expected to play in the left pocket, either as a left winger or a number 10.

Alonso was also full of praise for Dastan Satpayev, who started on the left wing against Western Sydney Wanderers.

Like Gittens, Satpayev managed to score a goal in this game.

The club have also been linked with Bayer Leverkusen’s young talent, Kerim Alajbegovic, whose play style is much closer to Gittens’.

The competition will always be there, but as Gittens pointed out, playing under Alonso’s guidance could still benefit his development as a player despite the uncertainty over where he stands in the pecking order.

He will also have more chances to impress the new manager on this pre-season tour in Australia and Asia.

The next friendly match is a big one against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, and Gittens is clearly looking forward to it.

“It's still a derby, so you've got to win the game, of course, to get a good feeling out of that,” he said ahead of Saturday’s clash with Tottenham at Accor Stadium.

“That'll be a good game for sure.”

This will be Chelsea’s last match in Australia on the tour, as the team will next head to Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Malaysia before returning to London.