Is Reece James injured this week? Injury latest on Chelsea defender

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Luck never seems to be on Reece James’ side when it comes to availability

Reece James of Chelsea applauds the fans following the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC at Stamford Bridge on May 04, 2025 in London, England.
Reece James has missed Chelsea's last two games with a small knock (Image credit: Getty Images)

Reece James has missed Chelsea’s last two games with a small knock.

The 26-year-old has a rough history in terms of injuries, so Blues fans were likely fearing the worst after he was absent from Liam Rosenior’s squad for the Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Is Reece James fit to face Leeds United?

Reece James of Chelsea celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Chelsea at City Ground on October 18, 2025 in Nottingham, England.

The Chelsea defender is having one of his best seasons in terms of availability (Image credit: Michael Regan/Getty Images)

In his senior Chelsea career, the most Premier League appearances James has ever made in a single season is 32, in the 2020/21 season, meaning he’s on course for one of his best-ever campaigns with 23 outings already this term.

Sadly, however, misfortune appears to be hampering the England international once again.

Liam Rosenior

Rosenior isn't sure whether he'll have James at his disposal (Image credit: Getty Images)

According to Rosenior, while James has recovered from the knock he was dealing with for the past two games, he’s now come down with an unrelated illness that could keep him out of the squad for Leeds.

"Reece is fit. A small issue, but he’s feeling unwell today,” the Chelsea boss told journalists on Monday. “It’s not a conspiracy, it’s true. Hopefully he’ll be well enough to play tomorrow.

“The staff have been down, my coaching staff, staff around the club.

“Fortunately, only Reece from the players is affected at the moment. It’s something we’re just trying to work on at the moment.”

While he will not definitely miss the clash at Stamford Bridge, the club’s official website introduces the quotes as “casting doubt” on his involvement.

Not only the virus, but also Chelsea’s consistent run of having two games a week has forced Rosenior into rotating his squad, something he feels is part of his management style in any case.

“You've seen that we’ve rotated a lot, which you need to do in this stage of the season,” he said.

“If you look at Strasbourg, if you look at Hull, I use rotation all the time. It’s what I believe in.

“They've played all the way through the summer, they've had no pre-season, so they've been magnificent.

“If you want to be successful at the end of the season, you need a freshness and a brightness about your squad in each competition. You need to give people a chance. So that’s one of the things I believe in. I’m not afraid to rotate, I’m not afraid to show my squad trust.”

Isaac Stacey Stronge
Isaac Stacey Stronge
Freelance Writer

Isaac Stacey Stronge is a freelance football writer working for FourFourTwo, Manchester United and Football League World. He has been a season ticket holder at Stockport County throughout the Hatters’ meteoric rise from the National League North to League One and is a die-hard Paddy Madden fan.

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