According to The Independent, Chelsea are set to offer 19-year-old starlet Reece James a new long-term deal in the summer after the youngster’s heroics on his loan spell at Wigan Athletic in the Championship this past season.
James has three years remaining on his current contract at Stamford Bridge but The Independent understands that the Blues are keen to secure his long-term future and are expected to initiate negotiations over the coming weeks.
With the current transfer embargo in place at Stamford Bridge, a new deal with improved terms and assurances of regular first-team opportunities is believed to be in the pipeline for the highly-rated academy graduate, with many hailing him as the long-term successor to the throne of club-captain Cesar Azpilicueta at right-back. (h/t Independent)
The same source claims that James has attracted interest from Premier League rivals Man United due to his incredible loan spell, while a number of Bundesliga clubs are also keen to lure the youngster away from English football.
Wigan barely managed to beat the drop in the Championship this season but James was one of the shining lights of the Latics rather disappointing campaign in the second-tier.
The 19-year-old moved out on loan to the DW Stadium last summer and hit the ground running immediately with a string of impressive displays. He managed to establish himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet under Paul Cook, contributing with 3 goals and 3 assists in 45 Championship outings.
The 19-year-old’s incredible returns of his loan spell have earned him plenty of plaudits and he is likely to play a significant role in the first-team at Stamford Bridge next season as an understudy to Azpilicueta. Reserve right-back Davide Zappacosta is set to leave the club after failing to challenge for a place in the team and James is expected to take his place.
A fast, agile, powerful, modern-day offensive-minded full-back with excellent well-rounded attributes, James combines the virtues of a natural winger and a sound defender. Blessed with high levels of stamina, the youngster patrols up and down the pitch to contribute equally to both attack and defence.
Quick across the ground, strong on the tackle and adept at dealing with the transitions in play, James is not just a good defender, but he also boasts of the passing and crossing skills of a wide playmaker.
He is more than capable of linking up the play with short exchanges in the final third while also possessing the immaculate crossing ability to set up goals on a platter. To add to that, he is also a set-piece specialist, who has the ability to find the net with powerful strikes from range.
James averaged 2.1 tackles, 2.3 clearances, 1.6 key passes, 1.6 crosses and 2.8 successful long balls per game in the Championship this past season, figures which speak volumes of his excellent range of passing and tough-tackling nature.
Hence, it is not difficult to understand why Chelsea are so keen to appease him with a lucrative long-term deal and it has to be said that the Blues would do themselves a world of good by convincing the youngster to stay at the club for the years to come.
He has shown strong signs of excellence very early in his career and he is likely to take over the reins from Azpilicueta provided he continues his development down the right path.
One of the positives of this transfer embargo has been the change in attitude towards the handling of youngsters at the club and that needs to continue if Chelsea are to build a solid platform for the future.
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The likes of Tammy Abraham, Mitchy Batshuayi, Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are all likely to play a bigger role or make their mark in the first-team next season and the decision to offer Reece James a long-term deal would certainly be a step in the right direction for the Blues.