Reece James Chelsea injury record in full and contract situation as latest setback confirmed

Chelsea captain Reece James has suffered yet another injury setback to rule him out of this weekend's Premier League clash with Leicester City.

James had been pictured with the rest of the squad in training this week but the problem was confirmed by Enzo Maresca in his pre-match press conference. "We have just one injured player, that is Reece," he said. "He felt something and we don't want to take any risks for the weekend. He is the only one that is not available for this weekend."

He added: "[It's his] hamstring. It's a muscular problem. We don't want to take any risks for this weekend and hopefully it's not something long."

James has only featured four times this season for Chelsea, playing 241 minutes of Premier League action. "He has to be out, for sure this weekend and then we'll see," Maresca explained. "At the moment we don't know how long. Then we'll see."

It's the latest setback of a catalogue of problems during James' career. Here, football.london takes a look at his unfortunate luck in the injury room and how it has impacted him.

Mountain of injuries

James became a regular in the Chelsea squad during the 2019/20 season under Frank Lampard following his loan spell at Wigan Athletic. He played 39 times that season but missed 12 games due to an ankle injury.

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The following season, he missed nine games, with the first hamstring problem coming in December 2020. James then went a year without any difficulties before the start of 2022 presented a number of problems.

After missing two games in February, the right-back suffered two muscle injuries in March and April. It wasn't until the 2022/23 season where James' hamstring became a problem.

After two knee problems between October 2022 and January 2023 - which forced him to miss 16 games for Chelsea - he ended that season with 24 games.

After playing in five straight league games in April, a hamstring injury meant he missed the final seven league games of the season. He returned to full fitness for the opening day draw with Liverpool under Mauricio Pochettino but then missed the following seven games.

James returned against Arsenal in October before suffering another setback in the 2-0 defeat to Everton in December. The Blues captain underwent surgery in Finland, designed to help him overcome the issues for good, to force him to miss 29 games.

However, the latest setback is his second since the season kicked-off after injuring himself against Real Madrid in pre-season. According to Transfermarkt.com, James has missed 680 days and 129 games.

What has James said on his injuries

During Chelsea's pre-season tour of the United States, James was clear on his goals. "I have one goal. My goal is to stay on the pitch," he said. Earlier this year, following his surgery, he wrote on Instagram: "all these setbacks I took would break you, the comeback is coming."

After being forced off against Everton under Pochettino last season, James provided an insight on the surgery. "The footballing world knew I got injured but the procedure I would go down this time took slightly longer to figure out the best solution," he put on social media.

"I had surgery today to try fix my reoccurring hamstring issue, the recovery has started, both physically and mentally. Since this injury I’ve had a good amount of support but significantly more hate and negativity.

"Believe me I don’t wanna be injured, I’m happiest when I’m playing football. Thanks to the understanding people that support me despite the highs or the lows, it goes a long way. Stay well, Reece."

Towards the end of 2022, a year that was tough on James' fitness, he said: "2022 has been the toughest year to date. I just wanted to thank you for all the support this year, none of it has gone unnoticed.

"It's naturally effected me mentally, but life is about dealing with the hand you’ve been dealt and that’s what I’m currently tryna do. I hope your end of year is filled with peace, joy and happiness. Love you all, catch you next year."

Future latest

As Chelsea captain, Maresca will be desperate for James' recent problem to be nowhere near as serious as previous ones. Fortunately, the Blues have Malo Gusto, who has developed into a well-rounded wing-back.

James' current contract at Stamford Bridge runs until June 2028 having signed an extension in 2022. The 24-year-old still has plenty of time to rediscover his form of previous years, fortunately.