Chelsea’s modern fullback: What’s next for Reece James?

What next?

Within days of winning the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League, reports emerged linking Chelsea to a big-money move for Inter Milan’s Achraf Hakimi. Such is the appetite for glory at Stamford Bridge that those sitting high up are rarely satisfied with what they have. In the bigger picture, that is not a bad thing. In fact, the club’s ruthless nature and propensity to change things at the slightest discomfort has partly made it so great.

In all likelihood, Chelsea will make a move for Hakimi, and more often than not, the club gets its targets. So should the Moroccan actually arrive at the Bridge, where does that leave James?

The most logical thing will be to rotate between the two players as and when the coach sees fit. It is going to be a long season, after all, with the club taking part in six different competitions. Conversely, James could be moved further back to accommodate the much more attacking Hakimi. That, on paper, would be a mouth-watering partnership down the right.

James proved toward the end of last season that he is comfortable playing in a back three. The England international seems a natural fit for the right centerback role, which allows him to cover familiar territories, albeit at the cost of his attacking impetus. While James will have to give up some of his attacking duties, he will still be able to surge forward on the underlap or the overlap.  Chelsea attempts to create numerical advantage through its centerbacks bombing forward. Antonio Rudiger is skilled at doing that on the left side; James doing the same opposite him will add another dimension to the attack.

Whether he plays as a wingback or a centerback, there are certain things James can work on to polish his overall game. As stated in the previous section, spatial awareness and concentration are some of the key things that the youngster needs to improve, even more so if he plays as a centerback. Furthermore, he will need to learn to pass better under pressure. Otherwise, he could become an easy target for opposition attackers.

All in all, there are no major deficiencies that James needs to flush out from his game. The youngster improved exponentially between the last season and the season before and was one of Chelsea’s most consistent performers throughout.

In James, the Blues have a unique talent. They have a perfect modern fullback who is equally effective in attack as he is in defense. Furthermore, he is carrying forward the tradition of multi-talented and versatile right backs who have played for the club in the modern era. If he can achieve half of what his predecessors did at Stamford Bridge, he will be considered a major success.

What do you think the future holds for James? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!