Jamie Gittens says £117m Morgan Rogers can win Chelsea the league – even if it pushes him further from starting XI

MORGAN ROGERS’ British record move can drive Chelsea to win titles – according to the man trying to keep him out of the team. Jamie Gittens is working back from a hamstring injury which curtailed a frustrating first season for the Blues, so perhaps the last thing he needed was a new £117million signing to compete with. Jamie Gittens is training hard ahead of the new season Credit: Getty Morgan Rogers will add star quality to Chelsea’s attack in 2026/27 Credit: Getty However, the winger has welcomed the addition of England star Rogers and feels the entire club has been boosted by his arrival alongside new boss Xabi Alonso. Gittens, who made five England Under-21 appearances alongside Rogers, was training in front of 4,500 fans in Sydney as he and his teammates kickstarted their tour of Australia and Asia yesterday. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! Rogers, on holiday after the World Cup, will not join up with Alonso’s squad until they return to London next month, but his move from Aston Villa – confirmed last week – has already sent ripples through the squad. Gittens said: “We want to win everything – that is our ambition, to win the Premier League, the FA Cup and win anything that we’re in.“Bringing in a player like Morgan will hopefully raise the bar to win titles. He’s a top player. That’s all I can say. He’s just an amazing player. “Our quality is there, for sure, as a team we have individuals on the pitch who can do amazing things but we have to try and put that together. “The squad is very competitive. We have to keep working hard and showing what we’re made of. “Everyone is very positive, looking forward to the new season and to be better and to succeed, which is the main thing.” Gittens had experience of facing Alonso’s title-winning Bayer Leverkusen side with Borussia Dortmund, from whom he joined Chelsea last year. Most read in Sport CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Gittens will be hoping to rediscover his Dortmund form next season Credit: Getty While he only lost to them once in five appearances, a 3-2 defeat in which he scored, the winger says they were a challenging side to face and is delighted to now be working under the Spaniard – who was heavily involved in training down under. He added: “That was hard! Because of the system, I’d say. It was a back three as well. They had Florian Wirtz, they had Jeremie Frimpong and, Amine Adli when we came off the bench sometimes, they had Piero Hincapie. Granit Xhaka as well. They were a real team. “He [Alonso] was obviously a top player so for him to come in and teach us is the best thing for us. “A World class midfielder, he’s probably the best to ever do it. He’s a very nice guy. He talks to us individually, speaks to us about what we can improve on, what we can do better. As a player, that’s all you want. “He’s told me to keep being positive, to keep on taking on players, to keep on creating chances and to keep on pushing myself to the maximum.” And how about being on the end of a pin-point Alonso cross in training? Gittens added: “It’s amazing, really. He does have a bit of an aura because he was a top player back in the day and obviously a top coach.” Gittens himself is confident the energy of Alonso arriving alongside big signings can carry him to a much better season than last year. The English winger arrived from Dortmund for £48.5m but scored just once in 27 appearances before a hamstring injury ended his season in February. Rogers will be looking forward to playing with his old pal Cole Palmer, who he played with in Manchester City’s academy Credit: Getty Xabi Alonso used his squad to good effect when he won the Bundesliga unbeaten with Bayer Leverkusen in 2023/24 Credit: Getty Gittens has been working every day over the summer, training solo on holiday in Portugal and Marbella to get ready for this season and noting down his objectives for a much better year. He has started pre-season well, scoring in two behind closed doors friendlies against Crawley and Bromley before departing for the tour. There is now a determination to show Blues fans exactly what he can do. He added: “It was hard, because this was the first muscle injury I’ve had. I’ve never had hamstring injuries before. “It was a challenge at the start, but I’m better now so I feel more confident. “I’m feeling much better, more confident now my body is better, the hamstrings are good, so I’m just waiting for the season to start. “I have set myself some objectives, individually, that I will keep to myself. “This is such a big club. I want to succeed here. I need to show people what I can do. I’ll keep working hard. I’ve shown glimpses, I would say. Small bits. But this season will be a good season.” Comment now