Jamie Gittens has revealed he is part of Xabi Alonso's plans at Chelsea next season.
The 21-year-old endured an injury-hit first season at Stamford Bridge and was resigned to just five Premier League starts.
However, part of the Blues' squad for their pre-season tour of Australia and Asia, Gittens has hopes of playing a much more important role next time out.
Jamie Gittens confirms Xabi Alonso's plans for him
Gittens missed the bulk of last season after suffering a string of unfortunate injury setbacks. The 2026-27 campaign looks like it's going to be different, though.
The 21-year-old, who arrived from Borussia Dortmund last summer for £52 million, has been heavily involved in Alonso's first training sessions, and has been promised valuable minutes.
Asked by BBC Sport if he's been told he's going to be part of Alonso's plans next seasons, Gittens said: "Yeah.
"He just wants me to keep being positive, to keep taking on players, to keep creating chances and to keep pushing myself to the maximum."
Chelsea kick their pre-season tour off against Western Sydney Wanders on Tuesday before playing Spurs in Sydney four days later.
From there, the Blues squad will travel to Asia where they'll face Juventus in Hong Kong on August 5, AC Milan in Jakarta on August 8 and Johor Darul Ta'zim in Johor on August 9, before returning to west London to host Real Sociedad on August 15.
Gittens and Morgan Rogers to fight for left wing
Even though Gittens has been promised an important role next season, the winger will need to compete with Morgan Rogers for a starting spot on the left wing.
Rogers is the side's newest signing after the Blues agreed a transfer with Aston Villa worth £117 million, making him Britain's most expensive player.
Naturally, the England international — Alonso's first marquee signing — will be one of the team's main focal points. Chelsea have already made him assurances that he'll be played in his preferred left-wing position which means he'll have to be at his best to keep Gittens on the bench.
Having two players who play in the same position in form is always a good problem for a team to have, and the impending Rogers vs Gittens rivalry could provide some much-needed healthy competition.
The pair have been teammates before in their careers. Both were part of England's under-21 squad during the 2023-24 season. They featured in five matches together, winning four and drawing one.
Add us as a preferred source on Google