Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that he is considering naming Reece James his new Chelsea captain.
He told Football London that he is still yet to make a decision on who will lead his side when they get the Premier League campaign underway in less than two weeks’ time.
James is certainly one of the names who has thrown his hat amongst those candidates to become the next permanent captain of the club.
A number of the leaders have left the club over the last two transfer windows. Cesar Azpilicueta, Jorginho and N’golo Kante have all departed in 2023.
This has left Pochettino with perhaps a decision he was not expecting to have to make, and a young squad he has at his disposal has made it a tough choice.
Pochettino considering James as captain
There is the obvious candidate of Thiago Silva, who has more experience at the top level than the majority of their squad combined.
However, it needs to be taken into account that he may find himself on the bench more than he is used to this season. It is likely to be his last that this kind of standard, and the Blues need to create a pathway for their younger stars.
With the decision up in the air, Pochettino has confirmed he still doesn’t know for sure who will take the armband at Stamford Bridge next Sunday.
He said: “Not yet, not yet. It’s still 10 days until the first game. I don’t know if we are going to change but Reece is a possibility.”
With James seemingly committing his future to the club with his recent new contract worth £250,000-a-week, it would certainly not be a bad idea to make the 23-year-old the new long- term leader.
Leave a Reply