Chelsea have officially confirmed that new signing Jamie Gittens will wear the No.11 shirt for the 2025/26 campaign, as the 20-year-old winger prepares for his first taste of senior English football following a £48.5 million move from Borussia Dortmund.
The England Under-21 international has joined up with Enzo Maresca’s squad for pre-season training at Cobham this week and is in line to make his debut during the VisitMalta Weekender at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea will host Bayer Leverkusen on Friday and AC Milan on Sunday.
Gittens becomes the fourth attacking signing for Chelsea this summer, joining the likes of Estevão, João Pedro, and Liam Delap in a revamped forward line.
Jorrel Hato, another summer recruit, is expected to wear the No.21 shirt, while Estevão will take the No.41 as the club continues to allocate squad numbers ahead of the 2025/26 season.
With Noni Madueke now having joined Arsenal and Mykhailo Mudryk banned for a considerable period of time, Gittens looks set to compete for a starting role on the left flank.
However, that position could soon face increased competition, as Chelsea have stepped up talks with Manchester United for Alejandro Garnacho.
The Blues have now been given a price by Manchester United, who are willing to sell Garnacho this summer.
According to reports from Ben Jacobs and David Ornstein, talks have advanced significantly in recent days, with Garnacho said to prefer a move to Stamford Bridge and expecting the transfer to go through.
Despite previous concerns about Garnacho’s discipline, Chelsea have run extensive background checks on the Argentine winger and are satisfied with the findings, giving the green light to proceed.
The No.11 shirt holds historical weight at Chelsea, previously worn by notable figures such as Didier Drogba and Pedro.
Gittens will be hoping to write his own chapter in that jersey as he adapts to Premier League football after spending four years in Germany.
Gittens could feature for the first time as a Chelsea player this weekend, as the Blues take on Bayer Leverkusen on Friday and AC Milan on Sunday at Stamford Bridge.
The two fixtures are part of the VisitMalta Weekender and will serve as Chelsea’s only pre-season games before the Premier League opener against Crystal Palace on August 17.
