BVB could make millions from another top talent after making a habit of giving some of England’s most talented youngsters an opportunity to shine
On November 30 at the Westfalenstadion, Jamie Gittens did something that no player had managed for eight weeks: he scored against Bayern Munich. However, the fact the Borussia Dortmund winger had breached the Bavarians’ backline wasn’t nearly as exciting or significant as the way that he had done so.
Gittens managed to torch Konrad Laimer without even touching the ball, with the 20-year-old ingeniously allowing Nico Schlotterbeck’s seemingly innocuous pass from deep inside his own half to run past him before turning on the afterburners and racing past the bamboozled Bayern right-back.
Laimer puffed out his cheeks and set off in pursuit but his race was already run. There was no catching Gittens. And, despite the presence of Manuel Neuer in goal, no stopping the left-footed strike that almost burst the Bayern net either.
Gittens admitted afterwards that even just a couple of years ago, he would have been intimidated by going up against a goalkeeping legend that he used to see on FIFA and TV – but not anymore. Gittens is a very different character – and proposition – this season.
Right now, in fact, he’s one of the most in-form forwards in the world – which is precisely why the latest English prospect developed in Dortmund is drawing comparisons to Lamine Yamal going into Wednesday’s mouth-watering Champions League match-up with Barcelona…
Where it all began
Gittens was born and raised in Reading and started playing football with his classmates shortly after starting primary school before joining local team Caversham Trents U6 or U7s. “I used to just kick a ball around, chase it and do it every single day,” he told the Bundesliga’s official website. “I really enjoyed these times – so much fun…
“From there, I had a trial at Chelsea and Reading as well, but I picked Reading because it is closer to my home. I was in Reading from Under-9s until Under-14s. But then I went to Manchester City for two years.”
Just like Jadon Sancho, though, Gittens decided to leave the Etihad outfit for Dortmund before he’d even made a single appearance at senior level for the club. He wasn’t considered quite as advanced as Sancho at the time – he was still only 16 when he moved to Germany – but BVB were cautiously optimistic that Gittens would prove just as shrewd a signing.
“Our scouting department has done a fantastic job!” Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc enthused in September 2020. “He is a highly talented wide player, who will get the chance to develop at his own pace in our youth teams.
“We don’t want expectations to be raised too high right from the start. He is still a year younger than Jadon was then… but the hope is that at some point he will be promoted to the professional team.”
Gittens would have to bide his time, though.
The big break
Gittens’ early days in Dortmund were tough. There were the usual struggles with homesickness and the difficulty always involved in trying to adapt to a new country and new language – but the teenager’s integration was greatly complicated by the fact that he arrived during lockdown, meaning he spent an awful lot of time “stuck in the youth house on academy campus”.
Gittens was also sidelined by an ankle injury and recurring issues in both shoulders that significantly stunted his rate of progress.
However, Dortmund were in no doubt that Gittens would prove worth the wait and he eventually made his debut in April 2022 before netting his first Bundesliga goal in August of the same year.
It was only after shaking off the effects of his shoulder problems that Gittens really began to show what he could do and, on the evening of November 28, 2023, he starred at San Siro, scoring one goal and creating another in a 3-1 victory over AC Milan that secured Dortmund qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League.
“That was the perfect game for me,” Gittens enthused in a post-match interview with UEFA’s official website.
How it’s going
Just over a year ago, Jude Bellingham hailed his former Dortmund team-mate Gittens as a potential Golden Boy winner – we’re now seeing exactly why.
Gittens has taken his game to a whole other level this season. A player who had previously scored five times in 58 appearances for Dortmund in all competitions has nine goals in 20 outings so far this season, including four in his last four games.
“It’s not news to me that he’s incredible one-on-one and is a very good finisher,” coach Nuri Sahin said recently. “But now he’s scoring goals and playing more mature football. He’s a very important player for us.
“[But] Jamie himself wants to take the next step, and we want him to take that step.”
Biggest strengths
Gittens will be the first to admit that in the past he was too preoccupied with showing off his sensational skillset, more concerned with embarrassing opponents than helping his team-mates. However, he’s becoming as efficient as he is entertaining.
Obviously, his pace has always made him a problem for full-backs but he’s now become almost unstoppable when he starts with the stepovers.
Teams have taken to doubling up on him and yet, as he’s illustrated in several Bundesliga and Champions League games already this season, it doesn’t appear to make a difference.
The outcome is, as Dortmund’s social media team have revelled in pointing out, as inevitable as Thanos.
