Chelsea have now reportedly started looking at potential right-back targets for January because of the frequent injury problems to Reece James.
Unfortunately, Reece James has suffered more frustration so far this season. The 24-year-old right-back is one of the best players to ever come out of the Chelsea academy, but he’s had real difficulty over the years keeping himself available for selection.
James, the Blues club captain, hasn’t played a single minute yet this campaign as he recovers from a hamstring problem. On top of that, he only managed 11 appearances across all competitions last season.
The Sun recently claimed that James has suffered a delay in his return from injury. The club’s medical staff are being cautious with the defender’s latest comeback, although the positive is that there’s been no fresh injury.
Chelsea consider Jeremie Frimpong
According to TBR Football, Chelsea are on the search to sign a new right-back in the January transfer window due to the worries they have over James and his fitness record.
The report says that Bayer Leverkusen star Jeremie Frimpong, 23, is one of the high-profile names under consideration. Apparently, the Blues like Barcelona defender Jules Kounde as well.
If we were looking worldwide at a potential James replacement, Frimpong would be close to the top of the list.
The right wing-back was a key part of a historic Leverkusen side that won the Bundesliga title last season without losing a game. They also won the DFB-Pokal cup during the remarkable undefeated double-winning season in Germany.
Frimpong played 47 games across all competitions last season, mainly operating high and wide as a wing-back. He scored 14 goals and created 12 assists in a phenomenal individual campaign.
We’d be delighted to see Chelsea move forward with Malo Gusto and James as the main right-backs for the foreseeable future, but you can’t blame the club for looking at other plans due to the latter’s injury record.
Chelsea previously linked with Jeremie Frimpong
In fairness, this isn’t the first time that Leverkusen’s Frimpong has been linked with a potential move to Stamford Bridge.
Defensa Central reported last December that Chelsea were seriously considering Frimpong as a James replacement. It’s interesting that the same rumours are now cropping up again, too.
There’s no doubt that Frimpong is a quality player that would be a great addition to the Premier League, but should Chelsea ramp up their interest in the Holland international?
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