New Chelsea signing Jamie Gittens reveals Cole Palmer’s role in his move as he signs seven-year deal with the Blues | OneFootball

Chelsea’s latest signing Jamie Gittens says new team-mate Cole Palmer urged him to join the club this summer.

Gittens has penned a seven-year deal with the Blues, joining from Borussia Dortmund in a £51.5m deal.

The winger spent three years at Dortmund, playing 48 times in all competitions last season and scoring 12 goals.

And the 20-year-old says he is looking forward to linking up with his former Man City youth team-mates Palmer and Liam Delap.

“I played with Cole at Under-16s and Under-18s, and Liam the same,” he said.

“And I’ve played against Levi (Colwill) from every single time we’d play against Chelsea in the FA Youth Cup, Premier League tournaments, the lot.

“I had a couple of text messages from Cole telling me to come, the same from Liam, and all of them were eager for me to join.”

Gittens becomes the latest former Man City youth product to join Chelsea, leaving the club in 2020 to head to Germany when he was just 16.

“I think I left England a boy, but I’ve come back as a man,” Gittens said.

“It was massive for me. I went there during lockdown – it was Covid times – so I was stuck in the youth house at Dortmund and, during the first year and a half, there were no football games, only training.

“Then I had an injury, so it took me two years to get into my rhythm properly. It wasn’t easy being injured; it was tough, but you learn a lot during difficult periods, and after that, it was quite smooth.

“It was lots of FaceTime calls with my mum, dad and sister. Playing with my friends on PlayStation, going into party chat, but it made me better and more resilient to challenges by living alone. It taught me a lot about how to be patient and how to keep working without being distracted.

“I learned a lot from some of the first team players like Marco Reus. I learned a lot there, even as a human being. I lived alone, I had to do the washing up and dishwasher by myself.”

Gittens says signing for Chelsea, where he spent time as a young boy, is a dream come true, adding: “It’s my dream to play in the Premier League. Obviously, watching it from Germany, it’s a really intense league.

“Every week is a battle, and I feel like I can enter that battle strongly. I’m excited to join this team that have a winning mentality – that’s the main thing.

“I just want to keep improving, especially as a footballer and a human being. I want to be more consistent and keep learning.

“It’s a great feeling to join Chelsea, such a big club. I can’t wait to learn from everyone in the team and to push myself to the max here. It’s amazing.”