Ben Foster believes Chelsea made an error by making Reece James club captain, believes Blues should have given captaincy to veteran star
Former Premier League goalkeeper Ben Foster has questioned Chelsea's decision to make Reece James captain instead of Thiago Silva. The Englishman believes the young right-back has taken too much pressure on his shoulders after receiving the armband this summer.
The club's captaincy role was vacated by veteran defender Cesar Azpilicueta after the Spaniard left in the summer to join Atletico Madrid. Silva was touted to be the next leader given the abundance of experience at his disposal.
However, James, a Chelsea academy graduate, received the captain's armband instead. This decision has been scrutinized by Foster, who believes Silva should have been the frontrunner for the role.
Foster insists that the England international can perform at a much higher level without the additional leadership responsibilities. The former Manchester United goalkeeper said on his YouTube channel (as quoted by The Chelsea Chronicle):
“With regards to the captaincy, give it to Thiago Silva because it takes the pressure off Reece James. Reece James is a Ferrari. I think he’s that good of a player when he’s fit and firing… I think they’ve heaped too much pressure on him."
He added:
"I think they’ve probably rushed him back with injuries. They’ve given him the captaincy. There’s too much focus on him. He wants to just get back to playing football.”
James has registered just six Premier League appearances for the Blues this season, recording one assist. The England international missed nine club matches this season due to a hamstring injury.
"He looks like a proper threat" - Chelsea urged to sign Napoli star who would be a 'step up'
Former Blues defender Glen Johnson has urged the Blues to sign Napoli's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The pundit believes the Georgian winger would be a massive improvement to the side's current attack.
Kvaratskhelia joined the Serie A side in the 2022 summer transfer window for a reported fee of just £9 million. The left-winger has proved to be a huge bargain as he went on to have a marvelous season with the Italian outfit, helping his side win the Scudetto.
The Georgia international racked up 14 goals and 17 assists in 43 appearances across all competitions. His exceptional form attracted attention from the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, and Real Madrid.
Johnson reckons Kvaratskhelia would push up the numbers in front of goal if he joined the Blues. The former Liverpool defender told GGRecon:
"I’ve obviously not seen him play as much as the wingers that are currently with Chelsea, but from what I saw of Kvaratskhelia in the Champions League with Napoli last season, he looks like a proper threat in front of goal."
"He’s quick, he’s got a great strike on him and he will get goals, which is something that many of the wingers aren’t doing at this moment in time at Chelsea."
Johnson added:
"They don’t necessarily need to buy another winger, but Kvaratskhelia could represent a step up on some of the wingers at the club if he continues on doing what he’s doing at the highest level."
"If he’s available and he’s not going to cost an astronomical amount, then this is definitely a deal for Chelsea to keep their eye on."
Kvaratskhelia has continued his stellar form this season as well, scoring four goals and providing five assists in 17 appearances for Napoli.