Gittens to Chelsea: From Reading to Dortmund via City, charting the rise of star

With Chelsea targeting Jamie Gittens, the 20-year-old winger looks set to become a Premier League player but his route there has been a little different.

In conversation with coaches and team-mates, we analyse the reasons for his rise and what could come next for him at Stamford Bridge...

🔵 Early promise at Reading
🟡 Developing at Dortmund
🔵 How he fits in at Chelsea

How freedom helped him flourish at Reading

Sky Sports' Nick Wright:

Gittens made his move to Borussia Dortmund from Manchester City, following the same path as Jadon Sancho, a player he could now replace at Chelsea, but the bulk of his formative years were spent at Reading, where those who worked with him remember him fondly.

Speaking to Sky Sports in 2023, one of the club's former academy coaches Rhys Denton explained how they went about nurturing his considerable skill and flair.

"For a wide player, you're looking for somebody who can dominate one-v-one and it was clear that he had those traits in abundance, so we tried to encourage him to play with freedom.

"You want those players to have the confidence and feel free to go again, and again, and again, and Jamie was really relentless with it. He wanted to have the ball, he wanted to travel with it and beat players, but he also had a lens on being productive.

"He wanted to score a goal, he wanted to assist his team-mates, he wanted to be that exciting player who got people out of their chairs."

Gittens relished the freedom afforded to him at Reading and, after joining Manchester City in 2018, there was further encouragement to express himself when he featured in a series of showcase matches run by London-based youth football organisation FFDTV.

The small-sided games replicated cage football, encouraging the kind of one-v-one qualities that now form such a big part of Gittens' appeal to Chelsea.

"It was easy to see Jamie was a very unique talent," said the organisers. "A lot of the boys come from playing 11-a-side with their clubs, but it's more difficult to shine in our sessions because they are three-v-three, four-v-four matches and the intensity is very high.

"He was just fearless. Those sessions are about as close as you can get to street or cage football and Jamie thrives off that."

It was around a year after those showcase games that Gittens made his move to Dortmund, a brave step for a young player which underlined some of his other qualities.

"I think that takes a certain level of maturity," said Denton. "I think it takes an understanding of what the project you see for yourself is and how you see your game developing.

"I can't speak any higher of that. In this day and age, especially at youth level, a lot of people look at the flashy boots and all of the gifts that come with football, but how many of them are really planning? How many are really looking in-depth at what is going to help them have a long career?"

Gittens, Denton said, was completely dedicated to learning and improving his game, even at that young age. "A year after he had joined Dortmund from City, I caught up with him to do some training at a performance camp in Bristol where I'd been doing some work.

"We spent a lot of time in the car travelling down together and he was just looking at clips of players. Older players like Ronaldinho, right the way through to your Jadon Sanchos.

"He's the type of player who wants to take the best things from the best players and put them into his game in order to make the best of himself.

"That coupled with some brilliant behaviours - making sure he looks after himself, being well-mannered - and you understand the performances and maturity you're seeing from him now."

Gittens' development at Dortmund

Sky Sports' Adam Bate:

When Dortmund signed Gittens from Manchester City at the age of 16, the transfer flew under the radar. But it was part of the club's policy to identify promising young talent that might not see the same pathway to the first team that Dortmund could provide.

"We convinced him to sign," said managing director Carsten Cramer. "We had good proof through the other ones who we signed - and not only the English ones. The younger ones know they will receive minutes, that Dortmund is an excellent platform."

However, Gittens was so young that there was not quite the same level of hype around him as there had been Sancho. But, as Cramer points out, Dortmund "gives you the time to develop yourself" and Gittens has blossomed in his five years in the Ruhr.

Visiting Dortmund late last year, there was a chance to speak to Lars Ricken, the club's managing director of sport, as well as Cramer. "When we signed him, he was not on Sancho's level but we said, we can develop him to the level of a great player," said Ricken.

"I can remember when he was playing with the youth team, we said we needed time until April and then he will be ready for the first team. It was under Marco Rose [in 2022] that he made his debut. Since then, great development, especially this season."

Gittens had to overcome adversity at Dortmund. Arriving in the midst of a pandemic, a serious injury hampered his first season. "Even in the last season he never played 90 minutes," said Ricken in November. "Now, he is improving his playing time."

It was later that day that Gittens underlined Ricken's point by scoring a sensational solo goal to open the scoring against Bayern Munich in Der Klassiker. It was one of a dozen goals for Dortmund this past season, making 48 appearances for the club in total.

Speaking to Felix Nmecha that evening, the Dortmund midfielder who had also been a team-mate of Gittens at Manchester City's academy, he discussed his progression.

"He has grown and developed, also just through more game time," Nmecha told Sky Sports. "He is getting more experience and starting to make the right decisions at the right time. If he keeps going like this he has such a huge future ahead of him."

How Gittens can add spark to Chelsea attack

Sky Sports' Peter Smith:

It wasn't always thrill-a-minute under Enzo Maresca last season at Chelsea. Far from it. But Gittens can add spark to the team's attacking play.

Comparisons with Sancho are inevitable, given their career histories and preferred left-wing role but Gittens' output of dribbles and crosses at around twice the rate of the former Blues loanee illustrates the different approach the new arrival is likely to bring.

In fact, Gittens' mesmeric, high-speed dribbling ability is on another level in terms of frequency to what we've seen from Pedro Neto and Noni Madueke in the Premier League this past season, too. Gittens has been a livewire in the Bundesliga and the plan will be for him to translate that into Maresca's set-up.

On paper, it should be a good fit. As the passing network for Chelsea last season shows, Maresca likes his players to find the wingers high and wide. From there, Gittens will relish the one-on-one battles with full-backs as he looks to create opportunities to cut inside and shoot on his favoured right foot or go on the outside to cross for England youth-team pal Liam Delap or Nicolas Jackson.

Gittens' top speed of 35.96km/hr was the 16th-fastest clocked in the German top flight last season and the prospect of him stretching defences or igniting counters is an enticing one for Blues fans who have found their side too predictable of late. If Sancho's lack of pace was a criticism aimed at him, it won't be an issue for Gittens.

Like most Chelsea signings, at 20 years old, Gittens has room to improve and experience to add to his game. He is not the finished article. But his unpredictability on the ball will be a welcome addition at Stamford Bridge.