The latest news on Reece James is that he could miss the rest of the World Cup due to a hamstring injury, and this should cast doubt over whether he can continue as Chelsea captain.
Thomas Tuchel felt he needed James for 90 minutes in both of England’s games so far, although he has looked rusty in stages so far.
The 26-year-old is coming off his most prolific season in years. He played 39 games for Chelsea this season, although a large portion were in central midfield.
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Chelsea have to replace Reece James as club captain
This decision was made to protect him in a position where there is not as much physical demand, and just two World Cup games at right-back have proven this decision to be correct.
Xabi Alonso will be arriving at Stamford Bridge next week with a club captain who unfortunately cannot stay fit, and he needs to be the one to make the decision to name a new skipper for next season.
One of the biggest criticisms fired at Chelsea over the past few seasons is that they lack leadership, and this is something they are looking to address in the summer transfer window.
It starts from the top though, and it is very difficult to spread leadership through the camp when there is a constant uncertainty over whether your captain can feature or not.
James has the respect of players and staff at the club. That will not change with the arrival of a new manager, but it is not enough to warrant being handed the armband.
Neither is the fairytale story of a Cobham graduate leading the side, after John Terry had successfully done so for so many years.
It may even be a welcome boost for the England international to not face the burden of leading his side into battle as he looks to make himself fit as frequently as possible for Chelsea.
Possible captaincy replacements for Reece James
Chelsea see Levi Colwill as a potential future captain of the club, although he will also need to prove his long-term fitness after missing the majority of the 2025/26 campaign.
Enzo Fernandez was frequently the man who took the armband in place of James when he wasn’t fit, but even if he stays fans surely won’t want someone leading them who made it clear he wanted to leave this summer.
Moises Caicedo has committed his future to the club with a new contract, and has taken the armband for Ecuador at the World Cup.
His constant availability and desire to set the standards should make him the favourite to take over the role at Stamford Bridge, after doing so on a handful of occasions already.
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