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News
- 21 minutes ago
Chelsea’s Gittens stance shows Blues have gone from Mudryk mugs to market masters
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 18 Jun 2025 07:56 CDT
- 5 min read
Analysis
Chelsea’s attitude towards a deal for Jamie Gittens is proof that the Stamford Bridge side are maturing in the transfer market, having learned from past mistakes.
The Blues are quietly building an outstanding transfer window that Enzo Maresca hopes will thrust his side into Premier League contention in the 2025/26 campaign.
Already spending at Stamford Bridge comfortably tops €115 million, with five players acquired at a price of €10m or more, headlined by striker Liam Delap and promising young talent Willian Estevao.
STATS
Jamie Bynoe-Gittens
M (L)
Dortmund
Jamie Bynoe-Gittens
M (L)
Dortmund
But Chelsea want more. A winger is expected to arrive in the weeks ahead, with Borussia Dortmund’s Gittens categorised as the leading option.
Sky Sport Germany’s Florian Plettenberg explains: “The main priority remains Jamie Gittens. There is still a verbal agreement in place. However, it remains unclear whether an agreement with Borussia Dortmund can be reached, as they are demanding €65m including bonuses for Gittens.”
A new approach at Chelsea
A couple of years ago, Chelsea may have accepted this unquestioningly. Gittens, after all, is one of the most-hyped players in the Bundesliga this season, coming off a campaign in which he scored eight league goals and chipped in with three assists.
It used to be that the Blues wildly overpaid for promising young players, most notably Mikhailo Mudryk and Romeo Lavia, producing unsustainable wastage in the process.
Under the guidance of co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, with support from technical director Christopher Vivell and co-director of talent and recruitment Joe Shields, it’s clear they’ve become much smarter.
Already this summer, they have secured excellent value when the transfer fee of their signings is compared to the Estimated Transfer Value (ETV).
All five have been signed at or below their ETVs, more or less. The Blues have paid €22.3m for Dario Essugo, which is a touch higher than his rating but not significantly so.
Liam Delap is the most obvious sign of Chelsea’s improving transfer smarts as they benefited from a low release clause to sign the Ipswich striker.
But undoubtedly their greatest success does not even play for them yet. Willian Estevao, who will join after featuring in the Club World Cup for Palmeiras, has been snapped up for just €34m. His ETV is €64.2m.
This marks a remarkable change. Mudryk, for example, was bought for €70m in 2023 when his ETV was just €30m. Around the same time, Lavia, who was rated at €38.7m, was bought for €62.1m. These are just two particularly flagrant examples of Chelsea’s history of transfer wastage.
What does this mean for Gittens?
Chelsea have shown they are no longer pushovers in the transfer market and are actively seeking to maximise the value they get from every deal. In the case of Jamie Gittens, that means driving Dortmund’s price downwards.
The Blues are actually being offered the 20-year-old for a reasonable fee. BVB’s €65m demand is a little under the player’s €68.3m ETV, which points to Chelsea getting decent value. But they want better.
Current ETV
Jamie Bynoe-Gittens
M (L)
Dortmund
Jamie Bynoe-Gittens
M (L)
Dortmund
ETV Range
€61.5M - €75.1M
Internally, the club will have its own value for Gittens, who SciSports, a leading data analytics firm, believes can become a key player for them.
Chelsea would appear to share the experts’ optimism that the former Manchester City youth can flourish at Stamford Bridge, having put him top of their transfer shortlist. What they are not willing to do, though, is pay just any fee for the Londoner, proving that their transfer market management is improving all the time.
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Bundesliga
Premier League
Chelsea
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Jamie Gittens
Liam Delap
Mykhaylo Mudryk
Roméo Lavia
