BREAKING NEWS: Reece James has been Stripped off the Captaincy batch and his successor has been named
Chelsea confirmed their decision to hand Reece James the captain’s armband at the start of the season. Ben Chilwell became vice-captain, whilst it has since been made clear that Conor Gallagher is third-choice.
James’ role as captain has been questioned in recent weeks following his red card against Newcastle and his injury struggles so far this season. At the start of the season following the decision to name the 23-year-old as captain, Mauricio Pochettino said: “This is a decision taken by me and the club, we are very pleased Reece will captain the side this season.
“He leads by example and his attitude and dedication to Chelsea has been clear throughout pre-season. He proudly wore the armband during our summer tour and will take up the challenge of leading our squad with his own approach and ideas.
Two thirds of Chelsea’s squad are aged 21 or under – highlighting the lack of experience and maturity in the group – emphasising the need for strong leadership in the team to help progress and improve. However, with the Blues currently sat 10th in the Premier League following the 2-1 defeat against Manchester United last night – in which Levi Colwill started as captain with James on the bench, Chilwell injured and Gallagher suspended – Pochettino needs to find out who can rely on to be a role model to the rest of the team.
With that being said, football.london has discussed the ongoing debate around Chelsea’s captaincy situation…
Lee Wilmot
Reece James is Chelsea through and through. Unfortunately for him, he also seems to be injured through and through. According to transfermarkt.com, the full-back has suffered 11 injuries in the last four seasons, ruling him out of 63 matches. That’s not good form for your club captain really.
Mauricio Pochettino would not think about this when choosing his captain, he’d think about the leader, the best man for the job, the one everyone else in the dressing room will get behind and I’m sure that is James. However, there are others in that dressing room who can lead, and if James is going to be sat on the sidelines for long chunk of the season, it stands to reason someone else should take the armband.
Someone needs to be Pochettino’s man on the field, otherwise Chelsea will continue to spiral and the hiring and firing of mangers will go on and on and on.
Bobby Vincent
One of the issues for Chelsea is that James and vice-captain Ben Chilwell are both so injury prone. Then there is Conor Gallagher, who is the vice, vice-captain. While I don’t think Gallagher is ready to become the club’s permanent captain, he looks set to be the man wearing the armband for most of this season.
I am very surprised Thiago Silva is not higher up in the pecking order in terms of captaincy. I understand why the Brazilian was not appointed as the permanent captain; his time at the club could be up at the end of the season.
Personally, I would stick with James. Despite the England international being so injury prone, I do think he is the right man for the job. Although his display against Newcastle, where he was sent off in a very silly manner, cannot happen again.
The fact Chilwell and Gallagher are next in line does help James. Both of them are more than capable of leading the team when fit and available. Hopefully, though, James can now stay fit for a lengthy period of time. Fingers crossed.
Sam Hill
Reece James is clearly trying to be the best captain possible for Chelsea, but I don’t think he is the answer when it comes to leading the club forward. He is far too injury prone and whilst he has more experience than the majority of the current squad, a more senior player would be more suitable than a 23-year-old defender that has missed over 60 games through injury since making his debut for the Blues.
Thiago Silva seems like the obvious candidate, but with his contract running into the final six months and his time in the starting XI potentially coming to an end in the near future, I would argue against handing him the armband. The veteran defender is clearly the perfect role model for every player at the club and he will be a great help to James by offering advice, but Silva is not the captain Chelsea need right now.
For me, I would look at someone like Enzo Fernandez as captain. He is seen as the generational talent responsible for getting Chelsea back to the top and challenging in Europe again.
He is consistently available, plays in the heart of the team and clearly has a huge passion for the club since he arrived from Benfica. Communication may be a slight issue if Fernandez was given the armband, not with Pochettino but others in the squad, but his availability is a huge reason why I feel he would be a smart choice over the likes of James, Silva and Colwill – because it’s only a matter of time before the current Chelsea captain is sidelined once again.
Joe Doyle
Chelsea’s captaincy issue is a symptom of wider problems at the club. The upheaval over the last couple of years has been so large that the main options for the role all have big flaws.
Many clubs have gone down the ‘leadership group’ recently, but the dressing room at Cobham might as well have a revolving door following the arrival of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. A lot of players have arrived, but there are few standout options.
The other big issue is that Pochettino simply doesn’t have a nailed-down starting XI at the moment. The defence changes too often to select one of them as a true candidate.
Reece James isn’t available on a regular enough basis to lead the team. If he’s only playing in 60% of games, you need a strong deputy – and that really negates the value in picking James in the first place.
Thiago Silva seems likely to leave the club at the end of the season, and some will say that’s why he should not have been picked. But it still looked odd that a former leader of the club would not walk the team out at Old Trafford in James’ absence, instead following behind Levi Colwill, who has only been a true part of the first-team since the summer.
While I like Conor Gallagher, he has looked set to leave the club in each of the last three transfer windows. It doesn’t scream long-term option, despite the way he seems to have turned things around.
Recent arrivals Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo look most assured of their place in the starting XI – perhaps alongside Robert Sanchez. But none of them seem likely to oust James as captain unless a new manager comes in – which can never be discounted with Chelsea.
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