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Chelsea great Joe Cole has showered praise on Reece James following his standout outing in the Blues' latest 2-1 UEFA Conference League last-16 first leg win over Copenhagen.
Earlier this Thursday (March 6), James captained his team to a win over Copenhagen at Parken Stadium. He also scored with a long-range shot in the 46th minute before Enzo Fernandez and Gabriel Pereira bagged a goal each for their sides.
After the end of the European clash, Cole shared his thoughts on James and suggested that the right-back can potentially return to his best self. He said on TNT Sports (h/t Metro):
"He will have the respect of every player at Chelsea because of what he can do technically and physically. When he was at his best, he was as good as anyone in the world, no doubt about that. It's just about him finding his inner peace and managing him into games."
Cole, who helped the Blues lift three Premier League titles, concluded:
"He can play in midfield, he did it when he was on loan at Wigan Athletic and got Player of the Year there as a young kid. He looks comfortable there. He's got so much to offer Chelsea and so much to offer England. It's so great to see him impacting the game like he did tonight. Don't give up on Reece James because there is still a real, real world-class player in there."
James, 25, has made just 12 appearances across all competitions for his side this season due to two separate hamstring injuries. He has bagged two goals and provided an assist in 736 minutes of first-team action for Chelsea so far.
Chelsea great says qualifying for Champions League is bare minimum for his former team
During a chat with DR Sports, Chelsea legend John Terry was asked if his former team could still qualify for the UEFA Champions League this term. He replied (h/t Metro):
"It was always going to be one of those seasons, for me. Even when we started well, I thought we'd have a little bit of a drop off and we have done that. Listen, Champions League has to be the minimum every year for me. When you're playing at a top club, the mentality has to be Champions League football year after year."
The Blues are in fifth spot in the 2024-25 Premier League standings with 46 points from 27 matches. They are currently just a point off fourth spot and two points off third place.
Enzo Maresca's side will next face Leicester City, who are 19th with just 17 points, in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on Sunday (March 9).
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Edited by Debkalpa Banerjee