Chelsea captain Reece James is yet to play a game this season in the Blues shirt. James’s recent hamstring injury has delayed his long awaited return to the pitch. As he went through a surgery last season.
James was an important player for the Blues in their 2020-21 Champions League winning campaign. The Chelsea academy graduate was even named the club captain last season after the departure of Cesar Azpilicueta. But the injury problems of the Englishman has been a real concern for the Blues.
Reece James injury history
The 24-year-old fullback have had some serious injury issues in his career so far. But hamstring problems have haunted him the most. Since 2019 the Englishman has missed more than 120 matches for the Blues.
James was almost out for 200 days due to his surgery last season. Because of his absence, Chelsea had problems in the right side as James is exceptional in both attacking and defending. Even Malo Gusto, who played as a rb last season, has also suffered from some fitness issues. So, Maresca is facing a crisis situation regarding the right back position.
Chelsea exploring right back options
Chelsea who are probably in a rebuilding phase, would try to play their best football in all the competitions. New manager Maresca has already started to show his brilliance with his tactics so far. However, the crisis at the rb position is distressing the Italian.
He even played Disasi at the right, aginst Bournemouth in the league. But that was just an experiment. Disasi as a rb cannot be a long-term solution for the Blues, as he was horrible out there. And the Blues cannot rely on James any more due to his fitness issues. It is disappointing for the fans and management but this is the truth.
So it is expected that Chelsea will seek for options for the rb position in the upcoming January transfer window. According to the reports of Jeunes Footeux, the Blues are interested in Kiliann Sildillia from SC Freiburg.
Who is Kiliann Sildillia?
Sildillia is a young 22-year-old French fullback who currently plays for the Bundesliga club Freiburg. He played for the French national team in the recent Olympic Games where they finished second as they lost to Spain in the finals. Sildillia was one of the most important players for Les Bleus. He scored one goal and provided an assist in 5 appearances in the tournament.
The young man is defensively pretty good. As per the reports of FBref, Sildillia was ranked 88th percentile for aerial duels won in his position over the last year. He was also ranked 85 percentile for blocks and 78 percentile for clearances in his position.
He wanted to leave the German club this summer for French side Olympique Marseille, as per ever trusted Fabrizio Romano. But at the end Sildillia stayed at Freiburg and now he will try his best to impress Chelsea more with his performances, before the winter transfer window opens.
Chelsea potential January targets
However, Chelsea will not be only looking for a right back. The Blues are still keen on signing a new striker. And Victor Osimhen will be available for a potential move due to the unique clause in his contract with Galatasaray. Osimhen is the most probable option for the Blues but they also have some backup
The Blues are also monitoring Aston Villa‘s Ollie Watkins. Watkins scored 27 goals for Villa in 53 appearances last season. He is also a very solid option for them. Chelsea can also sign an experienced center back in the form of Jonathan Tah as a free agent in the summer of 2025. But that would be a difficult swoop for them as Bayern Munich is already in hunt of Tah.
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