Last summer, Chelsea thought they had got their hands on one of the greatest attacking talents of his generation when they paid almost 60 million euros for Jamie Bynoe-Gittens. At just 21 years old, the English winger arrived in London with an enormous reputation after a very convincing season at Borussia Dortmund, concluded with 12 goals and 3 assists in all competitions. Partly trained at Manchester City, considered for several years as one of the most explosive offensive profiles in England, the player was almost unanimous thanks to his speed, his percussion and his ability to eliminate in one-on-ones. But less than a year later, the observation is extremely brutal: his adventure at Chelsea has already turned into a fiasco.
Because despite the immense expectations placed on him, Bynoe-Gittens has never managed to really establish himself in the London rotation. Between the changes of coaches, first with Enzo Maresca then Liam Rosenior, the lack of overall stability of the sporting project and gigantic offensive competition, the Englishman gradually disappeared from the radar. His record is particularly worrying: only one goal scored this season, in the League Cup against Wolverhampton (3-4), for 27 matches played in all competitions. Worse still, his last match dates back to January 31 against West Ham, where he started before leaving with an injury in the 27th minute of play. Since then, he has not played a single minute with Chelsea, suffering a series of relapses and physical problems, particularly with his tendon. Before his dismissal, Liam Rosenior had also confirmed a new relapse of the player, symbol of a season where nothing was spared him.
A future at Chelsea under Xabi Alonso?
In this XXL version of Chelsea, where massive recruitments follow one another without any real sporting consistency, Bynoe-Gittens now joins a long list of very expensive players who have never found their place at Stamford Bridge. Axel Disasi, Raheem Sterling, Aaron Anselmino, Facundo Buonanotte and even Dário Essugo, players recruited at a high price, embody this sometimes messy strategy of the London club. Chelsea continues to pile up talent without managing to create a stable framework capable of allowing these young players to really progress. In a catastrophic sporting context, with a team far from expected standards and probably promised qualification in the Conference League, Bynoe-Gittens has unwillingly become one of the symbols of management’s repeated casting errors.
The arrival, now official, of Xabi Alonso on the bench this summer could nevertheless redistribute certain cards. The Spanish technician has a real reputation in the development of young talents and could try to revive a player whose potential remains immense on paper. But today, there is no guarantee that Bynoe-Gittens will still be a Chelsea player next season. His future appears extremely unclear, between injuries, lack of confidence and insufficient performance despite his enormous cost. The man who was presented a year ago as the future of Chelsea and potentially of the English selection has never had the slightest call-up with the Three Lions, particularly since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel. It is now up to him to achieve a convincing pre-season to completely reverse the dynamic, otherwise his London adventure will end as quickly as it had raised hopes.
