Chelsea winger Jamie Gittens has declared himself ready to make a lasting impression under new manager Xabi Alonso, calling him "one of the best to do it" as the 21-year-old targets a breakthrough campaign at Stamford Bridge.

Gittens arrived from Borussia Dortmund in a £52 million deal last summer but found consistent minutes hard to come by during a difficult debut season. Chelsea finished 10th in the Premier League, missed out on European football, and ended the year without a trophy — a campaign the winger acknowledges lacked the team spirit needed to compete at the top.

Alonso's message to Gittens

When asked whether Alonso had confirmed his place in next season's squad, Gittens replied: "Yeah." He expanded on the conversation, saying the manager had encouraged him to "keep being positive, to keep taking on players, to keep creating chances and to keep pushing myself to the maximum."

Gittens explained that the squad hold Alonso in high regard because of his playing career, describing the former Real Madrid and Liverpool midfielder as a "world-class" talent. He also recalled the difficulty of facing Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen side during his time in Germany. "They were really a team," he said — high praise given Leverkusen claimed both the Bundesliga title and the German Cup in Alonso's first full season in charge.

Building towards a better season

Gittens is also encouraged by Chelsea's summer recruitment, particularly the arrival of Morgan Rogers — the £117 million British transfer record signing whom he played alongside in Manchester City's academy. "He will raise the bar," Gittens said, adding that the club's ambition remains to "win everything."

After suffering a hamstring injury in January that cut short his debut campaign, Gittens has been working his way back to full fitness through a training camp in Portugal and Spain. He scored in each of Alonso's first two behind-closed-doors matches — against EFL sides Crawley and Bromley — and now considers himself "90% fit."

"It has been hard because this was the first muscle injury I've had," he admitted. "I'm feeling much better, the hamstrings are good."

With his eyes firmly fixed on the season ahead, Gittens was candid about what he wants to achieve: "I want to succeed here. I need to show people what I can do. I've shown small glimpses, I would say, but this season will be a good season."