Chelsea would have expected more from £88.5m Gittens and Garnacho, but time is on their side

After they cost an initial £88.5million ($119m at current exchange rates) combined, Chelsea fans might have expected more than a combined seven goals and eight assists at this point of Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens’ first season at the club.

They certainly would be surprised to see those two summer signings competing not with each other, but with a right winger and central midfielder, for minutes on the left. Since Liam Rosenior became Chelsea manager on January 6, he has preferred Pedro Neto in that position. More recently, even Enzo Fernandez has lined up there.

In Gittens’ case, the important caveat is that Rosenior had only been in charge for seven games when he sustained a hamstring injury — but in that time, he started only against Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup third round and West Ham United, both times on the right.

Garnacho has been fit throughout Rosenior’s 12-games in charge so far, but has only started against Charlton, Brentford, Pafos in the Champions League, West Ham and Hull City in the FA Cup fourth round. He has come off the bench four times and been an unused substitute three times.

Yes, there has been a managerial change and an emphasis on rotation, while these are two young players (both are 21 years old). But none of that fully explains why — with Chelsea having spent £40million on Garnacho and an initial £48.5m on Gittens, and a right-footed left-winger a key target over the summer — neither of them has staked a real claim for the position.

Their situations differ slightly. While Gittens has struggled to make his mark all season, only starting five Premier League games, Garnacho’s role has changed under Rosenior. He started 10 of the 13 Premier League matches he played under Maresca, but now more of his minutes are coming in cup competitions.

“Jamie showed really promising signs,” Rosenior said, when asked about the two signings in a press conference. “Unfortunately, he got injured against West Ham. Garna showed some really good things in my time. I thought his performance as a whole was very good. He scored two goals versus Arsenal (in their 3-2 defeat in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final) really, really early in my start here. He is a very, very good player.

“There are a lot of tactical things as well. It is not just on those players. It is about finding the right function for the team. I have many different solutions I can use because I have such a good squad.”

As well as valuing the pace that helps his wingers exploit spaces out wide, Rosenior’s style also demands those players drop deeper to help build play. He focuses on central progression and likes his wingers to come inside to form combinations — sometimes with a full-back overlapping them — rather than having a purely vertical role on the touchline.

That requires short, sharp passing and strength in tight spaces. Against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Burnley, and Leeds United, Fernandez and Cole Palmer have shared responsibilities across the No 10 and left wing positions, rotating in-game to keep opponents guessing.

The fact that both are used to operating in congested areas to progress the ball gives them an edge over more traditional touchline wingers such as Garnacho and Gittens. For instance, only 5.9 per cent of Garnacho’s passes are forward — the lowest share in the league for any player who has played at least 500 minutes — compared to Neto’s 16.9 per cent.

The eight-time Argentina international is extremely goal-oriented and, with four Premier League seasons under his belt from his time at Manchester United, has the confidence to cut inside, drive forward and shoot. Unfortunately, that is often not the best thing to do, and leads to him giving up possession through speculative shots or running into a tight spot when team-mates are in better positions.

If Garnacho’s problem is overconfidence, Gittens’ is the opposite.

Sources close to Gittens, who, like all of those spoken to for this article asked to be kept anonymous to protect relationships, say he had no contact with Maresca before he completed his move from Borussia Dortmund in the summer. They say his signing was driven by the west London club.

As a result, those close to him have felt that there have been some vagaries around his role within the team since his arrival. Chelsea’s view is that no signings are made without the head coach’s alignment, and Maresca would have been involved in the process. Chelsea strongly believe that Gittens can be a success at the club, and Rosenior has spoken about him positively.

Gittens also had a further disadvantage. He had hoped to complete his move before the revamped Club World Cup in the United States. That did not happen. Instead, he made a token, 13-minute appearance for Dortmund at that tournament, making him ineligible to debut for his new club during their run to the trophy.

It was inconvenient, preventing him from developing any new rhythm with his new team-mates, building confidence with a quick start, and making a strong impression with supporters.

But, with Chelsea also shortening their pre-season as a result of their participation in the U.S., it squeezed Gittens’ preparation once back in England. Sources say he worked extensively on physical conditioning privately during the summer. He continued to do so once the season began, too, putting on weight and muscle mass. But the cumulative effect has been to make the already difficult transition between the Bundesliga and the Premier League even harder.

It is having a clear impact on his confidence. In his most recent appearances before injury, against West Ham and off the bench against Napoli in the Champions League, Gittens was predominantly passing backwards or sideways rather than running at defenders.

That is concerning given that, at Dortmund, Gittens’ game was characterised by his take-ons — he attempted more per game than any player in the Bundesliga in 2024-25. He has found that far more difficult at Chelsea.

In lower-risk situations, such as the 5-1 win against Charlton or his cameo against Everton, when Chelsea were already leading 2-0, he has shown more bravery.

His best game in a Chelsea shirt was in the 4-3 win at Wolves in the Carabao Cup, where he assisted twice in the opening 15 minutes and scored Chelsea’s fourth. When confident, and playing in less pressurised situations, he has shown flashes of technical quality. But he has not been able to put together a run of games to build that confidence, and injury will now stop him doing so for some time.

Neither of their shortcomings should come as a surprise. Gittens was always going to need to build fitness after limited involvement at the Club World Cup and in the second half of the season at Dortmund, while Garnacho’s single-mindedness will not be news to anybody who watched him at United. These players have plenty of time to develop, but the sums they cost naturally set high expectations.

Neto and Fernandez, on the other hand, have both already recorded their best-ever goalscoring tallies for Chelsea this season. That is partly a byproduct of being the club’s second and third most-used outfielders (only behind Trevoh Chalobah), but also speaks to how they have improved their decision-making in the final third and confidence in front of goal. Neto has now proven himself to be most productive in front of goal when playing off the left, even though it means he is less likely to cut inside as his preferred foot is his left.

Both the Portugal international and Fernandez have proven their ability to deputise across multiple positions, so it is hardly surprising that Rosenior has leaned on their versatility when Garnacho and Gittens have failed to make an impression.

It is a positive for Chelsea, and speaks to their squad depth, that senior players have been able to step up. Their focus on youth in recruitment demands that older heads (in relative terms, at least — Neto and Fernandez are 25) can alleviate the pressure while players adjust to Chelsea and, in Gittens’ case, the Premier League.

Gittens and Garnacho have plenty of time left on their seven-year deals to settle and flourish at Chelsea. The difficulty is that their price tags do not encourage patience from supporters.