This is the fourth and final post in our four-part series on Reece James, a hometown talent of Chelsea FC who joined the club at age six and now leads the senior team.
At a Glance
- Analyze Reece’s recent stats in the 2025 season.
- Visualize how his inclusion in the line-up significantly affects game results.
- Predict Chelsea's Premier League points for the upcoming season.
Fitness is Key
A key question that comes up around Chelsea's performance over a season is: What would it be like if Reece stays fit and involved for the entire season? He has repeatedly demonstrated how productive the team is with him in the lineup. To have him running up and down the right flank – often drifting in midfield positions to make creative plays – for an entire season would be ideal from Chelsea’s standpoint.
"It’s massively important for Chelsea that Reece James stays fit… He’s a Ferrari and you can only take him out for a spin once a week… and if Chelsea can manage him like that, he’ll be a world‑class defender." - Joe Cole (Tribuna)
Chelsea has become known for its reliance on wing-backs in recent years. This is partly due to the exceptional talent of wing-back players like Reece and partly due to the fluidity wing-backs provide in orchestrating different game tactics, which is required for staying competitive in modern-day football. It is, thus, crucial for Chelsea that Reece stays fit during the coming year, playing most of the games.
Chelsea has also been marked by changes in the last four years. Along with the new club ownership in May of 2021 came a string of updates to the coaching and playing staff, which completely overhauled the backroom. From the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League winning squad, Reece is the only first-team player still with the club. No matter the manager or coach, Reece has adapted to the playing system, consistently producing results for his team whenever on the pitch. This suggests regular game time for Reece in the coming years, if he stays fit and remains available for selection.
Under the new regime, Chelsea started rebuilding in the latter half of 2021, acquiring young, talented players while also selling many of the previous players. The years following were full of turbulent spells, as the team struggled to find space in the top rankings of the league. Slowly but effectively, they started finding their form and chemistry to win games and compete for championships once again. Finally, they secured a top-four spot in the English Premier League and won two trophies – the UEFA Conference League Cup and the Club World Cup – in 2025.
As the team continues to gel and build on the current momentum, Reece has a unique opportunity to lead a young and talented squad to various championships.
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Interesting Trends
How effective is Reece in the current system, though? We saw Reece shine as an exceptional part of Chelsea’s 2020-21 winning Champions League squad, but can he keep his footing in the current team, with a different manager?
Breaking from injury, Reece has started to find his stride again in 2025. He played 822 minutes in the latter half of the 2024-25 Premier League season for Chelsea, playing a pivotal role in securing crucial points towards the tail end of the season against Nottingham Forest and Manchester United.
During this period, Reece’s game-time impact can be assessed by looking at Chelsea’s average points per month against Reece’s average minutes played per month. We assigned 3 points for every win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 for a loss, and calculated across all competitions Chelsea played in. A striking correlation can be observed between the two metrics, with average points following the trajectory of Reece’s playing time. For instance, Chelsea scored 1.6 points per match in January, which went down to 1.2 points per match in February as Reece’s average minutes played per match dropped from 46 to 35 minutes. The closeness of points scored and Reece’s playing time could suggest not only how dependent the team is on Reece, but also how effective they are in winning matches with him in the line-up.
A similar pattern emerges when we examine the data from the 2020-21 season – the very year when Chelsea won the UEFA Champions League. The average points scored per month track the average minutes played by Reece during the same period. Yes, correlation is not causation, and perhaps Reece’s playing time has little direct impact on the club's point tally. But, the alignment between the two lines is hard to ignore.
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Next Season
The team finished 2025 on a high note, delivering excellent performances. According to the data from the second half of 2025, the club achieved a 65% win rate when Reece played for more than 45 minutes and a 6% draw rate. If we project these rates for a full season with Reece in the lineup, the club will score approximately 76 points. This is 7 points more than the 69 points they earned in the last season.
The numbers also suggest that the losing percentage was high when Reece was on the field. This is likely an area where Chelsea and the coaching staff will need to focus on in the upcoming season, filling gaps in the defense to turn losses into wins or draws.
Winning the FIFA Club World Cup
The team carried the momentum into the FIFA Club World Cup, ultimately winning the competition. Reece was a regular part of the line-up and scored a stunning free kick in the game against SL Benfica. Ending the 2025 season on a high and building on the momentum from the Club World Cup, can Reece elevate his team to new levels in the next year? Will 2026 be the year when we see Reece James achieve his prime, when he forges the way for a newly built Chelsea through the Premier League and other tournaments, and when a kid realizes his dream to lift the Premier League trophy for his club?
The story of Reece James is far from being complete, with much yet to be written. A boy who lived and breathed blue is now leading the club towards a new era, and we hope to see the best from him in the coming years.
Interested in data-backed stories? Check out all our series at Monthly Stories.
