Reece James has revealed he was very close to being released from Chelsea's academy system when he was just a teenager.
The 23-year-old started training with his boyhood club when he was just six years of age. James then had a short spell at Fulham a year later but returned to Chelsea swiftly after and has been with the club ever since.
After making his professional debut for the Blues in September 2019 under newly-appointed head coach Frank Lampard, and went on to feature 24 times in the Premier League in what was effectively his breakthrough season with the club. However, the next season (2020/21) was when we really got to see what the English defender is all about. He quickly became one of the most important players at the club and had Lampard's full trust.
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Lampard being appointed as Chelsea boss in the summer of 2019 has definitely had a lasting impact, according to James. The former Blues icon put a lot of trust in the club's academy system, which was somewhat forced upon him because of the transfer ban looming at the time, but it saw the likes of Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori, Mason Mount and James all get opportunities in the first-team and they all impressed in doing so.
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"I signed for Chelsea around the age of eight or nine," James explained in an interview with England Football as part of its grassroots football series. "In my age group coming through we had Dujon Sterling, Martell Taylor-Crossdale, Rhian Brewster, Jamie Cumming, Marc Guehi and Conor Gallagher, so there are a few of us who have gone on and done well.
It was all of our dreams to play for Chelsea but at the time we were coming through, it was known that it was hard to break through to the first team because not many had done it in recent times – you had Nathaniel Chalobah and Josh McEachran and a few others but not many broken in. We knew what we wanted to do but it was deemed hard at the time.
"But when Frank Lampard got the head coach's job, it definitely helped bring the academy and first team together. Even now he has gone, it is still where he has left it and you can see that with a few of the young lads breaking into the team last season. They have had their chance and been able to make their debuts and that is a credit to the players and the staff there as well."
It could have all been so different for James, though, for a number of reasons. The now-right-back used to play as a centre-forward when developing as a youngster. He looked up to Chelsea icon Didier Drogba, understandably.
James also spoke about how he was close to being released from Chelsea's academy system when he was a teenager. The London-born defender has confessed he was one of the worst players in his age group and the club actually took a big gamble when offering him a new contract.
"When I was growing up, I was a striker and I idolised Didier Drogba," the Chelsea star continued. "He played in my team, he played in my position and I always looked up to him. I just wanted to be like him, score like him and celebrate like him.
"I stopped playing striker around the age of 11 or 12 and moved my way back into midfield. I had three or four years there and then found myself at right back around the age of 15. I hated it for two or three years. I didn't like it and then one day it just clicked and I started to really enjoy it, around the age of 17. But it did take a lot of getting used to. It frustrated me a lot playing there when I didn't want to play there.
"But right-back is the position I play most now and is a position I enjoy. I haven’t really played anywhere else to say it isn't [my best position].
"I ended up staying at Chelsea the whole time once I joined but there was probably a stage where I was close to getting released around the age of 15 or 16. I was probably one of the worst in the group and they were unsure of how I was going to develop. They took a gamble on me by giving me a contract and I had to work hard to prove to people that I can play and achieve what I want to achieve."
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