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'Levels he can go' - Rosenior makes James admission after analysing Chelsea games

Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior was full of praise for Reece James and his impact on the team, but insisted that the Blues captain can still improve even more as a player.

James is already one of the best players in this Chelsea side alongside the likes of Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo.

In addition to obvious skills as arguably the best right-back in the league, the 26-year-old is also versatile enough to play in different positions and is a leader.

Most head coaches would be more than satisfied if James could just maintain his performance level throughout the season.

Rosenior, however, has high hopes for the team captain.

Day 1️⃣ pic.twitter.com/KcPmZaxcSY

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 8, 2026

"He's a very, very good player," the Chelsea head coach said in his press conference on Friday when speaking about James.

"Good players can play in many positions.

"I've analysed the recent games and Reece, in terms of his impact, his performances, he's growing every day.

"It's exciting to be working with Reece at this stage of his career. He has levels he can go to even beyond where he is now.

"What I've learned already is they all want success, not just Reece or the leadership group, but all of them."

Reece James

IMAGO / Sportimage

Chelsea have understandably been very cautious with how they manage the England international due to his injury records.

That said, it has been over a year since James last sustained an injury, so Rosenior's ambitious approach could prove beneficial in helping the defender reach his full potential.

James has featured 25 times for Chelsea this season across all competitions, 18 of which were as a starter.

He has played quite a lot in midfield recently, so it will be interesting to see how Rosenior manages his minutes.

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