Those who follow football closely, or have any interest in German football, will know all about Jamie Gittens. The more casual fan, however, may only be vaguely aware of who he is, what he has achieved thus far, and what his potential is.
Gittens has been linked with a move to the Premier League before, but recent newspaper reports – which more than likely are just attempts to fill column inches and attract clicks – have suggested that it would take more than €100m to prize him away from his current club. That’s an awful lot of money for a player who has scored just 16 goals in his senior career and is yet to be called up into a full England squad. So why is he attracting such attention?
The Lowdown on Jamie Gittens
Before we look at his career development in more detail, here are the basics, for those who may be hearing this player’s name for the first time.
- Born on 8 August 2004, in Reading, Gittens is currently 20 years old
- Spent two years in Man City youth system from 2018 to 2020
- Joined Borussia Dortmund on a free in September 2020
- Mainly a left-sided wide player, he is right-footed and can also play on the right
- Has played for England at every junior level from Under 15 to Under 21 (11 appearances, one goal for the latter)
- Won the 2022 Euros (U19) with England
- Four goals and an assist in nine Champions League games in 2024/25 (prior to play-off round second leg)
Excitement has been slowly building around Gittens over the past season or so, with his career developing very nicely at Dortmund. The German side have shown a great aptitude for picking up young English players and helping them grow. Jadon Sancho was also part of the youth set-up at Man City and became an England player whilst at Dortmund. His career suffered a setback during a bad spell at Man United but he remains just 24 and has been playing regularly in the PL on loan at Chelsea.
Dortmund also signed Jude Bellingham at the age of 17 and whilst they paid a big fee – an initial sum of £25m was reported – for him, they undoubtedly helped him become the great footballer he is today. Both Sancho and Bellingham moved on to bigger things but where is Gittens likely to end up and is his career more likely to follow the trajectory of Sancho’s or Real Madrid’s Bellingham?
What Next?
Gittens is the sort of modern player who is in demand at many clubs and there are certainly several top sides who will have been monitoring him closely. His current stats, 16 goals in 91 appearances for his German side, may make the reported asking price of around €100m seem a little punchy.
However, the player’s potential is clear and it has to be remembered he will not turn 21 until the start of the 2025/26 season. One football stats site ranks him inside the top 20 players in the world under 21, in terms of value. If we refine that search to consider only wingers, then only Lamine Yamal and City’s Savinho are thought to be worth more than Gittens.
His stats also look far more promising if we refine the search further, looking only at data from this season. This term he boasts 11 goals from 33 games, a significant uptick in efficiency, with a goal every three games a decent benchmark for a player in his position. He also boasts five assists this term, giving him a goal involvement in almost every other game, so it is easy to see why a number of Premier League clubs are thought to be interested.
Arsenal, Man United, Spurs and Chelsea are all reportedly considering a summer move for the Reading native and whilst that may just be paper talk, a big move seems highly likely before too long. If he keeps delivering the sort of numbers he is doing then a full senior call-up must be around the corner and that would only add to his appeal.
One big stumbling block could be the dreaded Profit and Sustainability rules, however, with many English teams struggling to stay within the parameters. Man United are said to have relatively little room for manoeuvre, though they could help fund a move through sales. The three London clubs have more in their transfer kitties and probably more scope to sell to fund a move. In addition, whilst newspapers have mentioned a fee of €100m, it is certainly possible that somewhere closer to €85m could be enough to acquire his services.
Career so Far
The Dortmund winger was born in Reading and was involved at an early youth level with his local side, as well as Chelsea. However, by the time he reached under-14 football, Man City came calling and Gittens and his family decided that the Etihad was a good move.
Of course, City have so many talented youngsters that it is all too easy for some to fall through the net, feel undervalued, or simply not quite seem good enough. Whilst the likes of Phil Foden have been happy enough to bide their time on the fringes of the team, others, such as Sancho, Cole Palmer and Gittens, have sought game time elsewhere.
The Dortmund winger moved to Germany in 2020 but the health crisis and injuries disrupted his career in their youth team. In 2021/22 he impressed in the UEFA Youth League and his six goals in just four matches helped him force his way into the first team squad.
He made his full debut towards the end of that campaign in April, scoring his first senior goal in August at the start of the 2022/23 campaign. His progression has been steady, with each season since his debut bringing more games. There is no doubt that the current campaign has been a real break-out one though, with the player adding the goals and assists needed.
He has played a lot of minutes too, having made 33 appearances already, with the 34 from 2023/24 his previous best. In addition to his outings with Dortmund, he has been a regular through the England age groups as said. Though he could also play for Barbados he has always had the desire and talent to play for the Three Lions. Let’s hope that he can be part of England’s future and add a senior trophy to the U19 Euros title he won in 2022 under Ian Foster.