Mauricio Pochettino has shared that Reece James is in contention to become Chelsea’s new club captain.
With Cesar Azpilicueta exiting this summer, the Blues armband is up for grabs.
We’ve seen Trevoh Chalobah and Thiago Silva both wear the captain’s armband during the first two games of pre-season, but Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino is still yet to confirm the full-time appointment.
In our view, Reece James would be a fantastic pick as the next captain. He would be a popular choice with the club’s supporters, too.
When asked if James is part of the leadership group at Stamford Bridge, Pochettino identified the full-back’s leadership qualities and signalled him out as a contender for the captaincy role.
“He is one of the possibilities. We are talking from day one about his objectives and how he was in the last few years at the club. He feels Chelsea, he came from the academy. He is one of the profile and players that can be the present and future captain of the club,” Pochettino said, as quoted by Football London.
James, who earns £250,000-a-week (Spotrac), is certainly growing into a senior individual at Chelsea.
If you examine this very young Blues squad at Stamford Bridge, the right-back is remarkably one of the most experienced at the highest level.
He’s an academy graduate developed at our famous Cobham facilities, so he’s someone that knows the club as well as anybody in the current squad. Fans are always going to get behind a player that is Chelsea through and through!
Our only concern around appointing James the next skipper would be his injury record. In contrast, Enzo Fernandez could be a viable alternative that you can bank on being fit and available every single game.
It’s encouraging to hear The Athletic report that James worked with a personal trainer during the summer break to get himself ready before pre-season. He’s someone we feel that can set the example on and off the pitch for the rest of his teammates.
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