Reece James & Trevoh Chalobah: Experience, Leadership & Chelsea DNA

They are just what we need right now

There’s two major things we’ve lacked a lot for the last couple of years, and they are experience and leadership. Its well established you don’t have a winning team without those two intangibles in the squad, and the team. Its very clear we need more of this.

However, there is some hope. The return to fitness of Reece James, and the recall of centre back Trevoh Chalobah, we have two players who could be regulars for us, who are now at a point where they possess both those qualities.

Reece James has been playing men's football for 6 and a half years now, for both Wigan Athletic, Chelsea and England. He’s played 158 club games and 16 internationals. He’s 25 years old, and has got international experience, Premier League experience, and has won the Champions League, SuperCup and Club World Cup.

He’s played in winning Chelsea teams and been at the club since he was 8 or 9 years old, so knows what Chelsea is all about, what the expectations are, and club culture. Not to mention, when fit, he’s a world class player who has the respect of everyone around him, and of course, is the club captain.

Trevoh Chalobah is also 25 years old, only 5 months older than Reece. He’s played 178 games of men’s football for Ipswich Town, Huddersfield, Lorent, Crystal Palace, and of course, Chelsea.

He’s won two trophies with Chelsea, played a fair amount of Champions League football. He’s an excellent professional, a strong character and a positive influence in any dressing room, as well as a calming presence on the football pitch. Rarely gets flustered, and very rarely has less than a 7/10 performance. Like Reece, Trev has been at Chelsea since he was 8 years old, and has the Chelsea DNA running through him. Despite all he’s been through as a player, he’s remained determined to succeed at Chelsea, which takes not only great character, but a deep love of the club.

Reece and Trev are no longer raw academy products. They’re becoming established players, entering the primes of their career. They have a lot of experience, club knowledge, and know how to win trophies at club level. They are both top pros, with strong character and leadership qualities, and the ability to set the example for younger players.

These are the same reasons I’m so adamant about bringing Marc Guehi to the club, most likely now in the summer. He has all the experience and qualities Reece and Trev have, outside the trophy wins, is an England regular, and a natural captain. Having all three at the club would be excellent as a bedrock to build on, three proven players with leadership qualities and Chelsea DNA, to set an example for the rest of our squad on and off the pitch. We’ll see if that happens.

Obviously with Reece, given his injury history, its important to manage his minutes. However he’s still been an influence, even when injured. But if we can keep him fit more often than not, he and Trev could be key figures to help us get back on track and secure Champions League football. Their leadership, experience and club knowledge, both on and off the pitch, on the training ground, in the dressing room, will be invaluable to our squad of young players.

I also think Trev suits head coach Enzo Maresca’s system down to a tee. His passing and technique is excellent, he can play RCB, RB or DM, and definitely play in that inverted role Maresca likes so much. I think he’ll soon establish himself as a PL regular for Chelsea and his presence, and experience, will be of huge benefit, as much as his obvious proven quality. He can be a calming influence at the back and a huge benefit to Levi Colwill and his development.

Obviously there’s other areas of the squad which need work, and the way Trevoh has been treated is appalling. But having him back, with Reece fit, will add more than just on pitch quality, it gives us a lot of intangibles this squad is sorely lacking.

The Score