What could Gittens bring to the Chelsea flanks?

Chelsea are interested in a talented young winger - far from the first time that storyline has appeared during a transfer window.

The latest name on their lips is Borussia Dortmund's Jamie Gittens.

The predominantly left-winger, 20, has caught the eye after a breakthrough 2024-25 season in the Bundesliga where he scored 12 goals and provided five assists across 48 games in all competitions.

His purple patch came over Christmas, scoring or assisting in six out of seven games between November and January - but, notably, did find the net just once more after this.

With the amount of recruitment in attacking areas for Chelsea in recent seasons, fans might well be thinking - in the words of DJ Khaled - 'another one'?

However, with Jadon Sancho returning to Manchester United after his loan spell, Mykhailo Mudryk's future still unclear and Raheem Sterling likely to be heading for the exit, it does leave the Blues light on that side of the pitch before a campaign where they will need more depth to cope with Champions League football.

With Chelsea choosing against signing Sancho permanently, it seems Gittens is the replacement, but how does he compare?

When it comes to output, Gittens just comes out on top for combined goals and assists, with 17 compared to Sancho's 15. However, they were equal in their goalscoring efficiency, with both having a shot conversion rate of 15.6%.

Sancho's strength lay in what he did for others, creating more chances than Gittens playing more passes into the box and winning possession in the final third more often, according to Opta.

Gittens on the other hand, was particularly strong on what he did with the ball at his feet.

The England Under-21 international proved higher for dribbles completed (3.6 to 2.2), 10 or more progressive carries (181 to 133), duels won per 90 (7.2 to 3.6) and then winning over half of those duels (50.1% as opposed to Sancho's 44.7%).

In Enzo Maresca's time at Chelsea, wingers have been interchangeable, with players often switching positions during matches.

The right-hand option has generally been Noni Madueke and he has excelled with his output in attack.

His goals and assists per 90 edges out Gittens at 0.6 compared with 0.5, while he had also more shots per 90 (3.5) and more shots on target per 90 (1.5) than both Gittens and Sancho.

Madueke's 2024-25 also featured more touches in the opposition box per 90 than the other two (8.6 compared to 6.0 and 6.5).

The numbers suggest there is still room for improvement in Gittens' game, and the drop-off towards the end of the season that saw him start only three of the final 10 matches could be a concern.

But, Chelsea often favour potential over ready-made and, at just 20 years old, he has time on his side to become to become a top-level talent.