Liam Rosenior issues key update on Reece James’ fitness after Chelsea win over Wolves

Molineux, Sunday — Chelsea’s surge up the Premier League table gathered pace with a composed victory over Wolves, but the post-match conversation centred on the fitness of club captain Reece James after interim boss Liam Rosenior delivered an encouraging bulletin on the right-back’s availability.

Cole Palmer’s record-setting hat-trick underpinned the 3-0 score-line and persuaded Rosenior to withdraw the forward early in the second half, preserving him for Wednesday’s derby against Crystal Palace. Yet it was the absence of James, missing a second consecutive match after sitting out the Arsenal fixture, that dominated the manager’s media duties.

Rosenior had hoped to re-integrate the 26-year-old skipper against Wolves, but instead entrusted Malo Gusto and academy graduate Josh Acheampong with the right-back berth. The decision, he insisted, was precautionary rather than ominous.

“He’s so close,” Rosenior told Football London. “He should be fit for Tuesday. It’s not a major problem at all. It’s a knock — a pain-management issue. He was out running yesterday.”

The update will calm nerves among supporters conscious of James’s truncated campaigns in recent seasons. The England international has already missed substantial game-time, yet when available has re-established himself among the league’s elite full-backs. Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo recently selected James in his 2025-26 Team of the Season, preferring him to Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber.

Rosenior’s refusal to gamble on his captain proved prudent; Wolves rarely threatened, sparing Chelsea the temptation to expedite James’s return. With Leeds United visiting Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night, the Blues could soon welcome back their leader, whose influence extends beyond defensive diligence to the collective composure of a side eyeing a sustained title push.

Chelsea boast credible cover in Gusto and the emerging Acheampong, yet the staff and squad alike acknowledge the uplift provided by James’s presence. Barring a late setback, the academy graduate is expected to resume training imminently and stake his claim for a starting role against Leeds, keeping alive hopes of a clean sweep of festive fixtures.