Maresca admits he has 'no idea' about Chelsea's biggest problem

Tom Weber

Updated: 20 Sept 2024 16:44 BST
3 min read

Enzo Maresca has admitted that Chelsea 'have no idea' when Reece James will return to full fitness.

Article continues under the video

A club without a captain is what the Blues have essentially been since last summer. It was a surprising decision, to say the least, when Mauricio Pochettino handed Reece James the Chelsea captaincy in 2023.

The homegrown fan favourite has repeatedly struggled with fitness problems and it seemed a major risk to hand an injury-prone 24-year-old the captaincy of one of the Premier League's biggest clubs.

Despite this, new coach Enzo Maresca did not name a new captain ahead of this season and it is increasingly looking like the doubters were entirely correct.

James has barely been seen on the pitch over the past 12 months and even when he eventually managed to get fit, he got himself suspended. In fact, in a quite incredible feat, he even received a suspension while out injured last season.

Maresca on James

All told, James has played just 482 minutes spread across 11 appearances since the start of 2023/24. He has not featured at all so far in this still-young season and recently suffered a setback in his recovery.

Chelsea are said to be looking at replacements and this is entirely unsurprising as a return of their captain is in no way imminent. His natural backup, Malo Gusto, is also currently nursing an injury.

Speaking to the media, coach Maresca has been forced to admit that he has no idea when James will make his comeback. "Unfortunately we do not have an idea at the moment," the Italian said.

"In terms of injuries in the past, we always hope that we can find the right solution. In this case, it has been very unlucky... Hopefully, we can have him back as soon as possible and fit."

Read more about: Premier League, Chelsea, Reece James