Chelsea are just one win away from claiming the Club World Cup and the $125m prize money that goes with it.
This would give Enzo Maresca a significant boost heading into the next few weeks, especially as it looks like he still has unfinished business in the transfer market.
So far this summer, Chelsea have signed Liam Delap, Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens and Mamadou Sarr. Brazilian prodigy Estevao is set to join the Blues before the start of the 2025/26 campaign.
His squad is very top-heavy, but the Italian will be looking to move certain players on to balance the books.
Noni Madueke looks set to join Arsenal in a deal worth £52m. Elsewhere, the likes of Christopher Nkunku and Joao Felix could be set for moves away from Stamford Bridge.
These sales will ensure Maresca doesn’t breach any profit or sustainability regulations while allowing the club to have a significantly stronger squad at the end of the window compared to how they started it.
Delap and Pedro have already proven their worth at the Club World Cup, but it could be Gittens who turns out to be one of the club’s most exciting signings this summer.
Why Jamie Gittens could be Chelsea’s best signing
Throughout his spell at Borussia Dortmund, Gittens demonstrated why he was one of the finest young talents on the continent.
Last season, he registered 17 goal involvements – 12 goals and five assists – across 42 games for the German side, despite falling out of favour slightly during the second half of the season under new coach Niko Kovač.
Despite struggling during the second half of the campaign, Gittens still ranked highly across several metrics when compared to his peers.
Indeed, not only did the youngster rank in the top 1% for successful take-ons (3.57) per 90 across Europe’s top five leagues, but he also ranked in the top 9% for progressive carries (5.53) and in the top 15% for non-penalty goals (0.41) per 90.
A successful take-on is recorded when a player beats their opponent by directly carrying the ball past them while retaining possession.
On this basis, Gittens is certainly one of the most promising wingers on the continent and should he hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge, Maresca will have pulled off an excellent coup.
Goals
8
Assists
3
Key passes per game
0.7
Total duels won per game
4.9
Goal conversion percentage
15%
Big chances missed
4
The 20-year-old is capable of playing across either flank, while he has even played in a more central role. Maresca will likely use him on the left, as that is the position where he is at his best.
Given his skills and statistics over the previous 12 months, landing a talent like Gittens could make Chelsea challengers for both the Premier League and Champions League next season.
As mentioned earlier, however, the Italian isn’t going to stop there in terms of improving his squad. Could he be targeting another swoop on the Bundesliga giants in the coming days?
Chelsea learn fee for Borussia Dortmund talent
Recently, the Blues have been linked with moves for Emiliano Martinez, Giorgio Scalvini and Antonio Silva in a bid to bolster their defensive options.
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With plenty of attacking options joining the club, Maresca still needs to add another defender or two to his squad ahead of next season.
Despite this, there are still links appearing for attacking players, and the latest one sees the club being touted with a move for Dortmund star Karim Adeyemi, according to reports from German outlet Bild (via Sport Witness).
Indeed, they are battling it out with Newcastle United for his signature, while Juventus were preparing a bid of €40-45m (£35m – £39m) for the player, but this figure won’t be high enough to convince Dortmund to sell the forward.
As per the report, the German side have placed a price tag of between €65-70m (£56m – £60m) for their prized asset, with Dortmund’s management only willing to engage in negotiations if an offer of at least £56m is submitted.
With the likelihood that the Blues could see a bid accepted if an offer is made in that region, Maresca could be getting a major Gittens upgrade.
Why Chelsea must sign Karim Adeyemi
While Gittens registered 17 goal contributions last season, Adeyemi went and scored 12 goals while also registering 11 assists in all competitions for the club.
His positional flexibility will also be a huge plus point for Maresca. Not only did Adeyemi play on either flank last term, but the German also featured through the middle as a centre-forward, giving the Blues several options on how to utilise his talents.
In the Bundesliga last season, he also created nine big chances, averaged 1.1 key passes and registered 1.8 shots per game.
Comparatively, Gittens managed six big chances created, averaged just 0.7 key passes and 1.6 shots per game in the top flight.
Delving even deeper, Adeyemi also registered more goal-creating actions (0.69 vs 0.51) per 90 than Gittens, while also registering more shot-creating actions (3.61 vs 3.57) per 90 and more shots on target (1.23 vs 1.06) per 90 across the Bundesliga and Champions League last season.
Back in 2020, football talent scout Jacek Kulig hailed Adeyemi as a “world-class” talent, while also stating that the youngster had “electric pace” and was “intelligent & unselfish” when profiling the player.
Since then, the Dortmund star has exuded all of these qualities and more as he has gone on to establish himself as one of the best players in the German top flight.
Maresca wouldn’t just be improving his attacking department by signing Adeyemi; he would also be landing an immediate upgrade on Gittens.
Although the Englishman comes with plenty of hype, it remains to be seen whether he has the maturity to succeed in the Premier League.
Adeyemi has plenty more experience; thus, he could turn out to be a better signing, especially if he starts well. For £56m, Maresca could be sealing yet another impressive signing that will bolster his frontline this summer.
If he manages to sell the likes of Madueke, Nkunku and Felix over the coming weeks, there is no doubt Adeyemi will fit right in.
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