MY ACCOUNT
Reece James expects Chelsea to become “one of the best teams in the world” after the Blues’ new signings combine and gain more experience together.
Chelsea spent a reported £294.8million in the January transfer window, with headline arrival Enzo Fernandez becoming the Premier League’s record signing on deadline day from Benfica.
Mykhaylo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile, Andrey Santos, David Datro Fofana, Joao Felix, Noni Madueke and Malo Gusto all also arrived as Graham Potter’s squad were boosted by a plethora of new arrivals.
While the Blues have won just one game in all competitions in 2023, James warned once those players gel, Chelsea will be a fearsome presence in both the Premier League and Europe.
The England right-back told Sky Sports News: “You know because the January period is always so busy with many games and then you’ve got transfer noise as well and it’s just all a bit too much in one month. So I just don’t really listen to too much of it.
“I quite enjoy playing with new players, you don’t really know what to expect from them. They all come in from different places all over the world, you know different teams, they’re all here to help at the end of the day. The quicker they’re comfortable and settled, the quicker they can help.
“I don’t think there’s a trophy we can’t win. When that happens? I don’t know. With the team we’re building, with the structure, with all the young players, once we play together for a longer period of time and everyone gains more experience, we’re gonna be one of the best teams in the world.”
James endured a difficult 2022 after missing the World Cup with England in November due to a knee injury and repeated fitness issues last year.
The 23-year-old is keen to learn from those experiences and utilise those challenges to grow under Potter this year.
“Sometimes you have a bad game and then you think, ‘oh I’m annoyed, I had a bad game, but I’m also happy that I’m fit,” he said of last year. “There’s always pros and cons to football.
“With time I gain experience, I learn how to deal with different things, that helps with character building and growing as a person.”
Chelsea sit 10th in the Premier League, a sizeable 20 points behind leaders Arsenal, but their next challenge awaits in the Champions League at home to Borussia Dortmund in the last 16 on Wednesday.
