Reece James has promised supporters that Chelsea will come back stronger next season in an emotional message on his Instagram page. The 23-year-old defender has suffered an injury-ridden campaign – and the Blues have certainly felt the ramifications of his absence.
The west Londoners endured a miserable season whereby they finished in the bottom half of the Premier League, failed to make it past the third round in each of the domestic cup competitions and, of course, had four different managers. All in all, James 25 games for Chelsea this term, starting just 14 times.
While the England international may have recently tweaked his hamstring in training, Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping that the England international is back for pre-season. James is expected to play a pivotal role in the Argentinean's project at Cobham – and he could even be named captain.
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So, with that being said, football.london has dissected the key things we noticed in James' end-of-season message shortly after Pochettino's unveiling.
Pochettino promise
James captioned his selection of images from across the season with a heartfelt message, promising to right the club's wrongs. He wrote: "Over & out for the 22/23 season. It’s been nowhere near our expectations, and a big reality check.
"I’ve had countless injuries and a number of sleepless nights, but I’ve learnt a lot. More then I’ve ever learnt when we’ve been a success. Better will come. I promise. See you soon, Love always."
Injury setback
James' season was plagued with injuries and, in his Instagram post, he revealed how he mentally overcame the numerous setbacks. In one image, he showed that he wrote diary entries to help him.
In another picture, he revealed that had given himself some achievable targets and affirmation, which were written on a mirror in his gym.
Leao to Chelsea?
Rafael Leao was one of several fellow professionals to support James in the comment section. The 23-year-old forward, who sees his contract with AC Milan expire at the end of next season, has been closely watched by Chelsea since joining the Rossoneri in 2019, football.london understands.
It's said that talks between the Italian side and the Portugal international over a new deal have been ongoing for a while, but an agreement is yet to be reached. Could James help Chelsea finally sign Leao?
Leadership role on the horizon
In one of the images, James was pictured admiring a tifo of himself with the message 'built different'. In another he was donning the captain's armband.
With Cesar Azpilicueta and Mason Mount edging closer to exits in the summer, James could be next-in-line for the captain's armband. At the age of 38, Thiago Silva is also expected to take a backseat role under Pochettino.
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