Highlights Reece James is unlikely to make his return to action when Chelsea take on Arsenal in the Premier League this weekend.
The England international has been restricted to just 76 minutes of action since the campaign got underway.
James is training alone at Cobham but is optimistic that he has avoided a more major setback after withdrawing from group sessions.
Chelsea are ‘concerned’ by their recent injury record after Reece James has suffered a setback in his recovery, and journalist Ben Jacobs has provided GIVEMESPORT with an update on how the situation is being assessed at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues have made an underwhelming start to the campaign, having been consigned to three defeats and finding themselves in the bottom half of the Premier League table despite spending more than £400million on fresh faces during the summer transfer window, and boss Mauricio Pochettino has now suffered another blow.
James in fresh injury frustration
James is a major doubt to be involved for Chelsea against Arsenal this weekend, according to the Evening Standard, after suffering an injury setback which has resulted in him training alone at Cobham ahead of domestic action’s return.
The report suggests the right-back, who was appointed as the Blues’ new captain ahead of the campaign getting underway, is optimistic that he has avoided a more significant issue after withdrawing from group sessions.
It is understood that James sustained a problem while training close to two weeks ago, which resulted in him undergoing a scan to determine whether he was facing up to another extensive period on the sidelines.
The setback comes as a cruel blow as the England international was ruled out of making his comeback during the win over Burnley earlier this month due to being handed a one-match suspension for confronting an official in the tunnel after a defeat to Aston Villa, and he is now not expected to be in contention for a place in the matchday squad until November.
Having been restricted to just 24 appearances due to various issues last season, James has been limited to 76 minutes of action since the current campaign got up-and-running.
The 23-year-old’s only outing came in the opening day stalemate against Liverpool as he sustained a hamstring injury in the following days, which led to Pochettino backing his skipper to come back stronger after a period of rehabilitation.
Sources recently told GIVEMESPORT that James has attracted interest from Manchester City and La Liga heavyweights Real Madrid despite his extensive periods on the treatment table, but Chelsea have no intention of cashing in and their academy graduate is fully focused on winning silverware with his boyhood club instead of embarking on a fresh challenge.
The west Londoners are in a strong negotiating position as the former Wigan Athletic loanee still has just shy of five years remaining on his £250,000-per-week contract, which ranks him among the highest earners at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea’s highest earners Raheem Sterling £325,000-per-week Reece James £250,000-per-week Wesley Fofana £200,000-per-week Ben Chilwell £200,000-per-week Christopher Nkunku £195,000-per-week All figures according to Capology
Jacobs is aware that Chelsea are worried by the amount of key players to have been consigned to the treatment table in recent months, with James’ latest issue causing another headache for Pochettino and the medical department behind the scenes.
The respected journalist believes the Blues are eager to discover why they have a continuously growing injury list, with the training facilities on offer at Cobham needing to be taken into consideration.
Jacobs told GIVEMESPORT:
“Chelsea are concerned, but it’s not a James-specific concern because there are lots of different reasons for a variety of different injuries. It’s more a desire to get to the bottom of why so many Chelsea players are getting injured in such a short space of time. “Usually, when these type of things happen, even if some of the injuries are not preventable and bad luck, you need to look a bit deeper and not just focus on one player. You need to focus on the data and medical department, invest more in prevention and make sure that your training facilities and training regimes are nothing to do with it. “Some managers push players harder than others. Some managers bring players back earlier than others. Some players have to play because of necessity and depth in the squad. Some players want to play, while some players mask the fact that they’ve still got a little niggle and say that they’re fully fit but then end up playing and aggravate the injury. Injury prevention is fascinating.”
£58m star closing in on Chelsea debut
Romeo Lavia could finally be in contention to make his Chelsea debut in December, according to MailOnline, after progressing in his recovery from ankle ligament damage.
The report suggests the teenager – who made the decision to join Pochettino’s charges in a £58million move despite also gaining interest from Liverpool during the final weeks of the transfer window – has removed the protective boot he had been wearing to support his right ankle and begun doing some rehab work in the swimming pool as he attempts to regain full fitness.
Read more: Chelsea sensation Kendry Paez has completed ‘rare’ feat at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea made their move for Lavia after Southampton, where he was handed 34 appearances during his only campaign on the south coast, were relegated to the Championship at the end of last season.
But the defensive midfielder, who committed his long-term future to the west Londoners by penning a £45,000-per-week contract which is due to run until the summer of 2030, has been unable to build on his big-money switch after being forced to contend with injury setbacks.
Lavia’s arrival at Stamford Bridge came after Liverpool had initially agreed a £60million fee with Southampton, but the Merseyside giants were unable to convince him to head to Anfield instead of the capital.
The Belgium international’s struggle to return to contention led to RedmenTV presenter Paul Machin recently telling GIVEMESPORT that Jurgen Klopp’s side dodged a bullet by failing to get the deal over the line, while he was guilty of an error of judgement by deciding to head to Chelsea.
Chelsea now have behind-scenes ‘concerns’ involving Reece James
