Chelsea must win their final Club World Cup group stage game against ES Tunis to reach the knockout rounds.
Following a straightforward 2-0 win over LAFC in their opening match, Enzo Maresca’s side shipped three goals in the final 30 minutes to eventually lose 3-1.
Nicolas Jackson, who came on as a second-half substitute for Liam Delap, was sent off just four minutes into his cameo following a dreadful challenge on Ayrton Lucas.
With the Senegal international suspended, Delap will be trusted to lead the line against the African side on Wednesday, and he has played well.
The youngster grabbed an assist in his first-ever match for the Blues and looked like a real handful against Flamengo before being brought off.
If he maintains this form, Maresca may have landed himself a bargain as the Englishman will only continue to get better and better.
Another player who has impressed at the Club World Cup is Pedro Neto. He enjoyed a solid first season at Stamford Bridge, but can this tournament give him the platform to emerge as a key player under the Italian next season?
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The club had a bid of around £42m rejected by Borussia Dortmund a few weeks ago, as the German side were holding out for a much higher fee.
Although it looked as though they were the frontrunners in the race to sign the English talent, it now looks as though a European heavyweight are ready to rival Chelsea.
According to German outlet Kicker, Bayern Munich have now joined the race for Gittens, and they are reportedly in talks with the current Dortmund sensation.
This is a blow for Maresca, but the report does note that the Blues are still in ‘negotiations’ to bring the English forward to Stamford Bridge with a bid of £51m ‘on the table’.
Why Chelsea must sign Jamie Gittens
Neto has impressed so far during the Club World Cup, showing the promise that made the Blues splash out to sign him last summer.
Going into next season, he should have the right wing position sorted, especially as Noni Madueke’s future is uncertain.
That said, Gittens is still only 20 and no doubt a much more exciting prospect for the Blues on the opposite flank. He may have struggled to impress under Niko Kovac and his tactical system, but his spell at Dortmund has been a huge success.
Across 107 matches in all competitions, he has registered 31 goal contributions – 17 goals and 14 assists – with seven coming in the Champions League.
His performances last season led journalist Dougie Critchley to heap plenty of praise on the youngster, saying: “He’s only 20, and this is his breakout campaign, but some of his finishing has been absolutely world-class. Crucially, he’s already making decisive contributions in the BIGGEST games (Real, Bayern, Leverkusen, Frankfurt).”
There is absolutely no doubt that Gittens has an incredible future in the game. A fresh start is required, however, especially with Kovac looking like he will be at Dortmund for the long haul.
Such is his impact over the previous 365 days, Gittens ranks highly among his positional peers across several attacking metrics.
Not only does the winger rank in the top 15% for non-penalty goals (0.41) per 90, but he also ranks in the top 9% for progressive carries (5.51) and in the top 1% for successful take-ons (3.57) per 90 across Europe’s top five leagues.
In comparison, over the same period, Neto fails to even rank in the top 70% for non-penalty goals per 90 and in the top 60% for successful take-ons per 90, proving that Gittens is certainly the most exciting talent.
How much is Maresca willing to spend on Gittens, though? That is the question the supporters will hopefully find out the answer to sooner rather than later.
He could be a fantastic addition to the Chelsea side. With Bayern interested, however, will this prove to be Chelsea’s undoing? Or can they beat the six-time European Cup winners to the prodigious talent? Only time will tell.
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