Reece James; Chelsea was about to drop me as a teenager and this was due to lack of development.
Chelsea enviable right back has recounted how he would have been dropped by Chelsea when he was a teenager as a result of lack of development. Here is what he said;
James has been so good since we first heard of him that we assumed he was always top of the class. But that’s not the case – and in fact James claims he was almost released as a teenager, and was one of the worst players in the group at that time.
“I ended up staying at Chelsea the whole time once I joined but there was probably a stage where I was close to getting released around the age of 15 or 16.
I was probably one of the worst in the group and they were unsure of how I was going to develop.
They took a gamble on me by giving me a contract and I had to work hard to prove to people that I can play and achieve what I want to achieve.”
It’s hard to imagine – just two years later he was 18 and one of the stars of the Championship when he went on loan to Wigan.
It just shows how much can change in a short time – if you’re hard working and willing to put it all on the line.