An excitable wave rushed over numerous Chelsea supporters on social media after they discovered Reece James had returned to training.
James was captured on camera out on the Cobham pictures, just a few weeks after suffering an ankle injury against Manchester City.
The defender missed two Chelsea matches whilst in recovery, as well as being removed from England’s recent international squad.
But his sessions in the swimming pool have clearly washed away the majority of the damages.
That means he might be fit for the Premier League trip to Brentford on Saturday.
Blues fans were jumping for joy to see James jogging around freely once again.
Here’s how they reacted on Twitter:
So you mean Brentford don’t have a chance
— mrOREO 🌟🌟 (@MRElijah23) October 12, 2021
Reece James full throttle ready to send Anthony Taylor to orbit
— Bruno🇨🇦⭐️⭐️ (@BrunoCFC10) October 12, 2021
Best RB in the league is back! 🤩
— London Is Blue Podcast ⭐️⭐️ (@LondonBluePod) October 12, 2021
Reece is back!!!!
— Gascar (@nanaxxcvl) October 12, 2021
Blues bandaged up
Having James potentially available for the weekend’s London conundrum is not only a boost but also very timely.
Thomas Tuchel is already facing the prospect of possibly being without two key centre-backs for the Brentford battle.
Thiago Silva will almost certainly sit out the game, as Brazil’s final World Cup qualifier takes place this Friday.
Chelsea are yet to confirm the extent of Antonio Rudiger’s back problem that caused him to be cut from Germany’s latest fixture.
Capital city collision
If James is in contention, Tuchel can breathe a little easier about his defensive situation.
After all, Andreas Christensen, Trevoh Chalobah and Cesar Azpilicueta provide a pretty sturdy rear-guard as they are.
Add to that the extra protection of N’Golo Kante – who was also back in training after his covid isolation period – and Chelsea still look pretty watertight.
Yet, the Blues simply cannot afford to take Brentford lightly.
Thomas Frank’s men have already taken points off Liverpool, West Ham United and Arsenal this season.
In fact, Brighton & Hove Albion are the only side with a win to their name against the Bees.