Reece James’ father admits the defender’s desire to become the captain of Chelsea with Cesar Azpilicueta gone
Nigel James, the father of Chelsea defender Reece James, has revealed that his son has the ambition to become the captain of this team following the departure of Cesar Azpilicueta.
After 11 years at the club, Azpilicueta left Stamford Bridge on a free transfer. He will now play for Spanish side Atletico Madrid, having signed a one-year deal there.
The Spanish international became the captain in 2019 and carried that role for four years. He had the quality of a leader even when the armband eluded him pre-2019.
With the captaincy slot there to be taken this summer, here’s what James’ father said about his son’s desire to take the armband (h/t Beautiful Game Podcast, via Daily Mail):
“Reece is a top player so I’m sure most clubs would want to sign him but right now I don’t see anything changing.
“If they want you … he’s been there since six years of age, his ambition is to wear the armband and captain the side and it broke his heart the season we have had just gone.”
Chelsea have let go of a lot of senior players in this transfer window. Mateo Kovacic, who might have been a contender for taking the armband, is now a Manchester City player. Mason Mount has signed for Manchester United and as mentioned above, Azpilicueta is gone as well.
Although Thiago Silva is still in the squad, he is 38 now and may not be at the club for a very long time. Hence, handing him the captaincy may not make much sense. The other senior player is Raheem Sterling, but we haven’t seen him as a captain.
Other than that, Mauricio Pochettino is working with a very young squad. So, looking at the experience and quality James has, it might be a good long-term option to hand him the armband.
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The 23-year-old is a Chelsea player since his teenage days. He seems to have the passion and will to do whatever is possible for the team. Lastly, he is a fantastic player who can lead a group of men through performances, if not by words.