It’s been a jam-packed summer for Chelsea so far this year.
On top of making it through to the knockout rounds of the Club World Cup, the Blues have already been very active in the transfer window.
Enzo Maresca’s side have bought in a number of young talents to bolster the squad ahead of their return to the Champions League next season, with perhaps the most exciting so far being Liam Delap.
However, in exciting news, the club appear close to securing the services of another young star who could be an even bigger talent than the former Ipswich Town star.
Chelsea target young talents
So far this summer, Chelsea seem to be continuing their habit of targeting young, up-and-coming talents, with names like Nico Williams and Alejandro Garnacho linked with them over the last few weeks.
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However, with the former now looking set to join Barcelona and the latter not exactly the most popular candidate, thanks to how things appear to have ended at Manchester United, the Blues have also looked at a host of other youngsters.
Fortunately, the West Londoners now appear to be closing in on one of those prospects, someone who’s arguably a bigger talent than Delap: Jamie Gittens.
Yes, according to a recent report from transfers expert Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are still pursuing the Borussia Dortmund star.
In fact, the Italian journalist has revealed that an “agreement is getting closer” as the two sides continue their talks over the player in the US.
A price is not mentioned in the update, but according to other reports from this week, it looks increasingly likely that the Englishman will cost around £55m.
It might be a lot of money for a 20-year-old, but based on his ability and potential, it could be worth it, especially as he might be a bigger talent than Delap.
How Gittens compares to Delap
So, the first thing to say is that both youngsters look destined for brilliant careers at the very top of the game, but if we had to come down on who we think is just about the bigger talent, it would be Gittens, and there are a few reasons why.
The first is that, while the former Ipswich Town gem was honing his skills in the Championship last season, the Dortmund prospect was making a name for himself in the Bundesliga and even made seven appearances in the Champions League, despite being just 19 years old.
Moreover, this season, when both players were competing in one of Europe’s top five leagues alongside other competitions, the 20-year-old prospect was, in fact, more effective for the German outfit than the 22-year-old was for the Tractor Boys.
For example, the “explosive” Reading-born winger, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, scored 12 goals and provided five assists in 49 appearances, totalling 2,803 minutes, which comes out to an average of a goal or assist every 164.88 minutes.
In contrast, the Winchester-born poacher scored 12 goals and provided two assists in 40 appearances, totalling 2,670 minutes, for the Suffolk side this year, which comes out to a goal involvement every 190.71 minutes.
Finally, when we examine their underlying numbers, it becomes impossible to ignore just how much better the talented winger fares than his potential new teammate.
For example, not only does he do better in the most critical attacking metrics, like non-penalty goals plus assists and key passes, but also tackles, blocks and interceptions, so he can be trusted to contribute to the dirty work while also impacting play at the sharp end of the pitch.
Non-Penalty G+As
0.56
0.42
Progressive Passes
2.13
1.04
Progressive Carries
5.74
2.12
Shots
2.64
2.29
Shots on Target
1.22
1.01
Expected Assists
0.21
0.05
Passing Accuracy
76.5%
61.3%
Key Passes
1.07
0.73
Passes into the Penalty Area
1.22
0.21
Crosses into the Penalty Area
0.20
0.00
Shot-Creating Actions
3.70
2.15
Goal-Creating Actions
0.51
0.24
Tackles
1.57
0.38
Tackles Won
0.96
0.28
Blocks
0.81
0.28
Interceptions
0.51
0.07
Clearances
0.20
0.97
Successful Take-Ons
3.91
1.39
Carries into the Final Third
2.84
1.60
Carries into the Penalty Area
3.20
1.04
Ultimately, both Delap and Gittens will be excellent players for Chelsea, but as things stand, the latter appears to be a more promising talent than the 22-year-old striker.
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