Chelsea went into the last international break of the 2024/25 campaign off the back of a disappointing 1-0 defeat to London rivals Arsenal at The Emirates.
The Blues were beaten by a first-half header by Mikel Merino from a corner, which turned out to be the only goal of the game, but still went into the break in fourth place in the Premier League table.
Enzo Maresca’s side are fighting to secure Champions League qualification for next season, whilst they are also still in the Conference League after their win over Copenhagen.
The Chelsea head coach, who arrived from Leicester City to replace Mauricio Pochettino last summer, has not been afraid to make big decisions and try bold tactical moves during his short time at Stamford Bridge to date.
In the 1-0 defeat to Arsenal, captain Reece James was selected as one of the two deep-lying central midfield players, rather than being deployed in his usual berth at right-back.
However, the England international won just one duel in 82 minutes, whilst failing to create any chances for his teammates, and it remains to be seen where his long-term future is.
Where Reece James' best position is
His struggles against Arsenal last weekend suggest that a long-term future in midfield may not be the best use of James’ talents, albeit on a small sample size.
One of the English star’s best attributes as a player is his athleticism on the pitch. Whilst you could argue that suits playing in midfield, his ability to get up and down the pitch with powerful runs is what makes him such an effective and dangerous full-back.
As you can see in the clip above, James has the quality to be a difference-maker in the final third when he makes runs from full-back to arrive in the box.
The 25-year-old defender has racked up 13 goals and 23 assists in 172 first-team appearances for the club to date, with the vast majority of those matches coming at right-back.
Therefore, playing as a right-sided defender could be the ideal position for James because of his ability to make lung-busting runs down the right to deliver goals and crosses from wide positions, which he cannot do in a central role.
However, there should also be concerns over his long-term fitness as a right-back because he has suffered from injury problems throughout his time in the first-team with the Blues.
24/25
3
22
23/24
2
38
22/23
6
25
21/22
4
20
20/21
2
9
19/20
4
18
As you can see in the table above, James has only missed fewer than 18 competitive games for club and country in one of his six seasons at Stamford Bridge to date.
Chelsea may, therefore, have to look at the future of their right-back position and find another player to fit their role, and that is reportedly what they are doing.
Chelsea want to sign Premier League right-back
According to The Boot Room, Chelsea are ‘working’ on a deal to sign Nottingham Forest right-back Ola Aina in the upcoming summer transfer window.
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The report claims that there are several sides interested in signing the Nigeria international from the Tricky Trees in the summer, and that the Blues are one of those teams vying to secure his signature ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
Aina started his career at Cobham, spending 12 years in the academy system, before they sold him to Torino for a fee of £8.7m in the summer of 2019.
The Boot Room adds that Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester City have all been keeping tabs on the defender’s performances in the Premier League this season, with a view to making a move for him in the summer.
Forest have an option to extend Aina’s contract by 12 months and that would leave him with just one year left on his deal in the summer unless they can strike an agreement with him, which could open the door for the Blues to swoop in for his services.
Why Chelsea need sign Ola Aina
Maresca must push the board to complete a deal to bring the Nigerian defender back to Stamford Bridge in the upcoming summer transfer window because he could be an upgrade on James.
Availability is the best ability because, quite simply, a player has no use to the manager on the pitch if they are unable to take part on the field most weeks.
Aina has only missed more than six games through injury in one season in his entire senior career, and has only missed six matches through injury since the start of the 2023/24 campaign.
This suggests that he could, immediately, be an upgrade on James by simply being more available to Maresca throughout the campaign, due to his impressive fitness record in comparison to the England international’s.
The 28-year-old star, as illustrated by the incredible statistic above, could also be an upgrade on the Chelsea skipper through his performances on the pitch.
Former Nigerian international Julius Aghahowa recently described Aina as “the best right-back in the Premier League” due to his effectiveness in and out of possession, which is backed up by that stat from TNT as he has been the best defender in Europe’s top leagues at winning the ball back.
Appearances
29
11
Goals
2
1
Big chances created
2
0
Tackles + interceptions per game
2.8
1.3
Ball recoveries per game
5.4
3.0
Duels won per game
5.3
3.7
Ground duel success rate
56%
55%
As you can see in the table above, he has outperformed James in a host of statistical categories from a defensive perspective, which suggests that he could improve Chelsea’s defence by arriving this summer.
Notably, Aina has also played almost three times as many matches in the Premier League this season, and that is the big selling point for the Nigerian star.
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He is a consistent and brilliant performer who can also be relied upon to be available week-in-week-out without breaking down due to injuries, which is why Chelsea must swoop to sign him as an upgrade on the unreliable James.