With the return of Reece James still in question as confirmed by Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, here at Football Park we’ve decided to break down how bad his injury problems have actually been and how they’ve cost Chelsea in the long run.

🔵⚠️ Maresca: "Reece James has been very unlucky with this new injury, to be fair".

"We planned to change him after 65 minutes, but he got injured after 62/63...".

"We really don't know when he will return yet, unfortunately". pic.twitter.com/EXBsBTm27I

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 20, 2024

The Early Years

Reece James joined the Chelsea academy at just aged six and showed great talent whilst developing into a teenager and also as an adult. One of his highlights at youth level was him captaining his Chelsea under 18s side to an FA Youth Cup trophy in the 2017/18 season, picking up the accolade of Academy Player of the Season as the cherry on top.

Those displays earnt him a loan spell at Wigan Athletic the following season, giving him a chance to experience first team football. He was a sensation there as well, managing to secure himself in the Championship Team of the Season and Player of the Year for Wigan. He racked up a total of 45 appearances and bagged three goals.

That great season meant that he had to be starting for Chelsea come the 2019/20 season and so he did, making his senior debut in 7-1 victory over Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup, scoring on debut and providing two assists. Then a step higher for James as he found the back of the net in the illustrious UEFA Champions League, helping Chelsea comeback to draw 4-4 versus Ajax.

Becoming World Class

It wasn’t until a year later when he got on the scoresheet in the Premier League in a 3-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion. Getting better and better, the Chelsea right back was part of the Thomas Tuchel side that dispatched Manchester City 1-0 in the UEFA Champions League Final in Porto, the trophy coming back to Stanford Bridge for the first time since 2012.

Reece James. 21 years old. Chelsea through & through. Starts in a Champions League Final, help keeps a clean-sheet vs Manchester City and becomes a champion.

Straight facts, you aren’t dreaming. pic.twitter.com/tqGjNrTUOy

— Alex Goldberg (@AlexGoldberg_) May 29, 2021

Fantastic performances throughout those years had him in the conversation as on of England’s best right back and in the Premier League alongside Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold and Manchester City’s Kyle Walker. He got the call up to represent his country in the international break of October 2020 and was introduced onto the pitch for the first time following an injury to Raheem Sterling. He has made an appearance for England 15 more times, including starting against Scotland in Euro 2020.

The Injuries

However, it was back in the 2019/20 season where things started going wrong for James. An ankle injury would see him miss 26 games. The season after was a lot better, only missing just the nine games with another ankle and this time a hamstring problem as well. The 2021/22 season was the beginning of successive long term injuries that has affected him for many years. Missing 20 games that season, then the next year had him missing 25 and the worst of the bunch, he missed the entirety of last season, 38 games on the sideline.

He has headed into this season already missing eight games, and that will only rise as Chelsea tried to ease him back into football before aggravating the hamstring problem he missed last season with.

Adding it all up, Reece James has missed a total of 126 games in his professional career. Once compared to Alexander-Arnold, he is nowhere near that level anymore. Had he been fully fit the whole time he would be on similar appearances for his club to the Scouser who has 316 to James’ 158 for Chelsea. In that time, Trent has amassed 102 goal contributions with 19 goals and 83 assists whereas Recce James has 11 goals and 22 assists, making that 33 goal contributions.

100 — Trent Alexander-Arnold G/A
108 — Reece James PL appearances

Never compare these 2 ever again. 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/5FYggkQP2L

— ‏ً (@CIinicalNunez) September 21, 2024

James is no doubt a very talented player, but his injury record has taken a massive hit to his career, potentially preventing him from being one of England’s very best. What has happened has happened but there will always be a question of what could have been.