Chelsea
spent more than £300m in January - more than the other clubs in Europe
combined - but for Reece James, he still hates the January transfer window.
The likes of Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk and Joao Felix are among eight
new players who joined the Blues last month, with Fernandez setting up Felix
for Chelsea's goal against West Ham on Saturday.
While Chelsea players might be excited at the prospect of new talent joining
the ranks, James told Sky Sports News that he does not enjoy those times of
the year.
He said: "You know because the January period is always so busy with many
games and then you've got transfer noise as well and it's just all a bit too
much in one month. So I just don't really listen to too much of it."
Much has been talked about Chelsea's spending, as Graham Potter tries to
unite his side and find a formula that works.
"I quite enjoy playing with new players, you don't really know what to
expect from them," James reflected.
"They all come in from different places all over the world, you know
different teams, they're all here to help at the end of the day. The quicker
they're comfortable and settled, the quicker they can help."
The challenge of bedding in new players is something Potter has been open
about. While it's exciting, some players are adapting to playing in a new
league and there are also different languages to contend with.
The side is a work in progress and despite Chelsea's recent form, the
23-year-old is optimistic about the future for the club.
"I don't think there's a trophy we can't win," he claimed.
Chelsea's next six fixtures
Wednesday February 15 - Borussia Dortmund (a), Champions League
Saturday February 18 - Southampton (h), Premier League
Sunday February 26 - Tottenham (a), Premier League, live on Sky
Sports
Saturday March 4 - Leeds (h), Premier League
Tuesday March 7 - Borussia Dortmund (h), Champions League
Saturday March 11 - Leicester (a), Premier League |
"When that happens? I don't know. With the team we're building, with the
structure, with all the young players, once we play together for a longer
period of time and everyone gains more experience, we're gonna be one of the
best teams in the world."
After struggling with a knee injury, James hasn't played much football under
Potter. He described 2022 as the toughest year of his life, missing large
periods of play through injury and therefore being unable to take part in
the World Cup.
"Sometimes you have a bad game and then you think, 'oh I'm annoyed, I had a
bad game, but I'm also happy that I'm fit," he said of last year. "There's
always pros and cons to football."
One con is surely not having much time to watch his sister, Lauren, play in
the Women's Super League?
"She doesn't watch me too much and I don't watch her too much," he said,
with Chelsea Women currently second in the WSL with a game in hand.
While they rarely play on the same day, he says getting to get games is
always hard. Although he says he'll check the WSL results and see if she
scored.
With the challenges of 2022 behind him, James is looking ahead to what this
year has in store.
"With time I gain experience, I learn how to deal with different things,
that helps with character building and growing as a person."
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