As you might expect, it has been a busy summer transfer window already for Chelsea. Liam Delap’s move to Stamford Bridge is all but confirmed.
The West London outfit have agreed a deal with now-relegated Ipswich Town for the transfer of Delap, and ‘he can be considered’ a Chelsea player, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The England U21 international is not the only player Chelsea are hoping to sign in the coming days, before the Club World Cup. AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan is also a target, although Romano reported in a separate post that the two clubs are not close in valuation for the shotstopper.
mike maignan for AC Milan
Chelsea are also closing in on another transfer target before their Club World Cup campaign begins.
Chelsea's new transfer target
Over the past few summers under Todd Boehly, Chelsea have become a club notorious for spending big money on some of the most exciting young talents in Europe; Delap would be a prime example of that transfer policy.
Another player who fits that trend is Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens. According to a report from Caught Offside, the 20-year-old is reportedly subject to a £55m bid from the West London side, who are ‘in talks to try to get a deal done’ sooner rather than later.
Borussia Dortmund's Jamie Bynoe-Gittens in action with Lille's Bafode Diakite
The reason they are in such a hurry to get this one over the line is that they face competition from other English clubs.
Newly crowned Premier League champions Liverpool, London rivals Arsenal and Manchester City, who Gittens represented as an academy player, as well as Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, are also interested. Hence, Chelsea have placed a bid.
Why Gittens would be more exciting than Delap
It was a shockingly poor season for Borussia Dortmund, who just snuck into a Champions League qualification spot on the final day of the league season. For Gittens, however, it was a campaign of success from an individual point of view.
Dortmund-Jamie-Gittens
The England youth international was a key aspect of Dortmund’s side in the 2024/25 campaign. He featured in 48 games across all competitions, finding the back of the net 12 times and registering five assists.
The winger, who was born in London, has a knack for scoring goals in big games. Last term, one of his eight Bundesliga goals came against 2023/24 champions Bayer Leverkusen and the side who snatched their title off them, Bayern.
However, they were not the biggest goals that Gittens scored last term. The former Man City academy star bagged away against Real Madrid in the Champions League, giving Dortmund a 2-0 lead and becoming the youngest English player ever to score against Los Blancos in the process.
In fact, it is something like that means you can argue that the “world-class” Gittens, as Dougie Critchley called him, is a more exciting signing than Delap. Of course, the Tractor Boys attacker is a brilliant piece of business from Chelsea, for just £30m, but Gittens is perhaps a better deal.
liam delap
It has been a strong season overall from Delap. The Ipswich forward star scored 12 goals in 37 Premier League appearances.
However, he was not incredibly consistent, and actually failed to score in the last seven top-flight games last season.
Not only has Gittens shown how dangerous he can be at such a high level, against one of Europe’s biggest teams, but his underlying numbers are exciting.
In particular, the Dortmund winger’s dribbling stats on FBref show just how deadly he can be. For example, he averaged 3.57 successful take-ons per game last season, ranking him in the top 1% of wingers in Europe.
Gittens dribbling stats in last 365 days
Stat (per 90)
Take-ons attempted
Take-ons completed
Progressive carries
Carries into final third
Carries into penalty box
Stats from FBref
Signing the Dortmund attacker would certainly be a captivating addition for Chelsea. There is no doubt about that. There is certainly a strong case to be made for the fact that he is an even more exciting signing than Delap, given the European pedigree he brings and his ability in one-vs-one scenarios.
Borussia Dortmund's Jamie Bynoe-Gittens in action
For £55m, this seems like an excellent deal for the Blues, and one that can elevate them to new heights this term.
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