Borussia Dortmund have a recent history of providing a platform for exciting English talent, and Jamie Gittens is the latest in that production line. At just 20, he is already on a trajectory to reach the top…
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When Jadon Sancho made the unusual step of switching from English football to the Bundesliga in 2017, only seven Englishmen had played in Germany’s top flight. However, eight years later, that number stands at 30, in no part thanks to Sancho’s impact at Dortmund across the four initial seasons he spent at Signal Iduna Park.
Jadon Sancho was a trend-setter for English players in the Bundesliga. - 2018 DFL
With Harry Kane, the finished product tasked with firing Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title upon his signature, an obvious outlier, most English imports have been up-and-coming talent looking for a home to express themselves.
After Sancho came Jude Bellingham, who became Bundesliga Player of the Season in 2022/23 before moving to Real Madrid that summer and winning the UEFA Champions League.
Gittens is not yet at the level of either of those two aforementioned Dortmund alumni, but he has already developed into far more than a player with potential. Like Sancho, the younger left winger swapped Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City for the Ruhr in January 2022, hoping the transfer would earn him more first-team opportunities.
Watch: The best of Jamie Gittens
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Initially, he joined the U19s, himself just 17 years of age. Yet, it was immediately clear the level was already below him. While a torn ankle ligament reduced him to only six U19 Bundesliga outings, he scored three and provided three assists, while he struck on six occasions in just five UEFA Youth League matches.
As Dortmund lifted the league title at that level with a 2-1 victory over Hertha Berlin in the final, Gittens was on the scoresheet, while he started the Junior DFB Cup final against VfB Stuttgart that ended in a 2-1 triumph for the Swabians.
Gittens scored for Dortmund against Hertha in the U19 Bundesliga final in 2022. - IMAGO/Matthias Koch
Such performances did not go unnoticed, and in April 2022 he was promoted to the first-team squad by Marco Rose. He debuted as a late substitute in a 6-1 win over Wolfsburg and made his first start two games later as Dortmund lost 4-3 to Bochum. He ended the campaign with four Bundesliga appearances and went on to help England lift the U19 UEFA European Championship that summer.
After that first starting XI inclusion, Rose was glowing in his appraisal of his newfound talent. “He gives us something we are lacking, something that we don’t have in our squad. He still has to get used to the pace of the Bundesliga. Still, he did really well and it was a very good game.”
Careful not to burden his prodigy, new Dortmund head coach Edin Terzić used him sparingly in 2022/23. Still, he would no doubt have picked up more than the four league starts and 15 appearances he ended with had injury not again kept him on the sidelines for a significant chunk of the campaign.
Despite his lack of game time, he opened his professional account against Freiburg on Matchday 2 and ended with three goals and one assist. More praise came his way, this time from Terzić in the aftermath of his Freiburg intervention. “It's basically very simple for him: he has the skills to decide games. He's a game-changer – and I wanted to see that from him.”
Edin Terzić (r.) was the first Dortmund boss to significantly use Gittens (l.). - IMAGO/Kirchner/Marco Steinbrenner/IMAGO/Kirchner-Media
Having put his injury woes behind him, Gittens had to work his way back up the pecking order in 2023/24. The term was about getting back on track, with the Englishman amassing 34 appearances in all competitions. Two goals and eight assists, including one of each against AC Milan in the Champions League, caught the eye and promised more was to come.
A complete, injury-free pre-season and the arrival of Nuri Şahin enabled him to make the next step. Although he was named on the bench for the season opener against Eintracht Frankfurt, he proved to be the match-winner, scoring twice in a 2-0 victory.
Watch: Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Eintracht Frankfurt - highlights
That was the beginning of an electric first half of the campaign in which Gittens found the back of the net 11 times, including four in the Champions League's league phase, making him one of the few positives during a problematic period for Dortmund.
It wasn’t just the number of times he found the back of the net, but also the manner in which he did. His first against Frankfurt was a stunner as he found the top corner from a tight angle, while his individual brilliance opened the scoring against Bayern Munich on Matchday 12.
Gittens also scored twice against Freiburg across the term and netted against reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen, repeatedly showing his ability to perform against the best.
Gittens (r.) played his best football so far under Nuri Şahin. - DFL/Getty Images/Lukas Schulze
Following a poor run of form, Şahin’s departure and Niko Kovač’s arrival as his replacement reduced Gittens’ starting possibilities – he started just six of the Croatian’s 15 Bundesliga games at the helm in 2024/25. That, though, may not have been a bad thing considering the youngster played just five games fewer last term than in the previous two seasons combined.
Kovač’s more defensive style of football saw him go with Maximilian Beier on the left flank instead. Still, the head coach has been eager to applaud Gittens’ character.
Gittens (l.) has seen his playing time reduced under Kovač (r.). - DFL/Getty Images/Lukas Schulze
“He's working hard and trying to give himself a chance in training. Of course, I'd like to give him more minutes, but the situation hasn't really allowed it. He's very important and, with more minutes in the coming games, he'll give us what he showed in the first half of the season – namely, lots of goals,” he said in April.
In spite of his lack of minutes towards the end of the term, the stats show Gittens was an influential player for Dortmund. Only Serhou Guirassy managed more goals (21) and shots (90) in the Bundesliga for the club than Gittens’ eight and 53 respectively, and it was the same story in terms of duels won – Guirassy edged out his teammate with 264 to 242.
His pace is one of his biggest assets, which was underlined too. He managed the third-highest top speed for Dortmund players (35.96 km/h) – enough to see him into the top 20 in the whole division – while he also completed the third-highest number of sprints (648) behind Julian Brandt (713) and Guirassy (687).
Unsurprisingly, his displays have attracted interest from across Europe. As sporting director Sebastian Kehl explained prior to the FIFA Club World Cup, there was “contact” from Chelsea, but Dortmund "didn't come to an agreement because we have different ideas about the player's current value”.
Gittens played an important role for Dortmund in 2024/25, especially during the first half of the season. - IMAGO/osnapix / Hirnschal
"He is completely committed to Borussia Dortmund. He's grown up here, and the club has given him the opportunity to grow. Jamie is looking forward to the Club World Cup and will give his all for the club,” he added.
Precisely what the future holds for Gittens is up in the air, but his ability to influence games for his team is without question. 2025/26 may well be the season when he establishes himself further as one of the brightest wingers in the sport.