Reece James leaves Stamford Bridge on crutches
While Chelsea laboured to a draw against Brighton in west London, altogether more worrying news was emerging about the severity of an injury to Reece James.
Already without Ben Chilwell for the rest of the season as a consequence of an ACL tear, James was forced off with a hamstring injury midway through the first half of the clash with the Seagulls, and the initial prognosis did not look good.
Reece James leaving Stamford Bridge on crutches.
Saindo de muletas. Não um bom sinal.
Momento difícil para o Chelsea com mais um ala contundido no dia que Ben Chilwell foi operado no ligamento cruzado. O time empatou em casa contra o Brighton. #ChelseaVsBrighton #chelsea pic.twitter.com/dqwW6K9jqT— Joao Castelo-Branco (@j_castelobranco) December 29, 2021
Then, he was pictured leaving the stadium on crutches, and then an update came this morning.
Reece James layoff time revealed
And while some Chelsea fans were optimistic, it seems as though he could be sidelined for months rather than weeks.
Looks like Reece James will be out for at least 4 weeks with the injury he sustained last night. Edit:-@onformfootball pic.twitter.com/rm2DPz9xN4
— Frank Khalid (@FrankKhalidUK) December 30, 2021
Should it prove to be a full hamstring tear, as is reported by The Athletic it could see him unavailable until well into the New Year, with healthline.com reporting:
Typically, partial tears heal in 4 to 8 weeks, while complete tears take about 3 months. You should start to feel better with regular physical therapy and lots of rest.
This would leave Chelsea with just Marcos Alonso as a recognised fullback, meaning that they will almost certainly have to dip into the transfer market when it opens on New Years day, with a Champions League run and the Club World Cup to contend with.
Lyon have rejected Chelsea’s approach to recall Emerson Palmieri from his season long-loan spell in France ❌ pic.twitter.com/v6snYPw66h
— GOAL News (@GoalNews) December 30, 2021
Will they be able to bring in the necessary reinforcements?