Reece James has missed Chelsea’s last two games with a small knock.
The 26-year-old has a rough history in terms of injuries, so Blues fans were likely fearing the worst after he was absent from Liam Rosenior’s squad for the Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Next up is an equally important Premier League contest against rivals Leeds United, kicking off at 7.30pm on Tuesday, but will James be available?
Is Reece James fit to face Leeds United?
In his senior Chelsea career, the most Premier League appearances James has ever made in a single season is 32, in the 2020/21 season, meaning he’s on course for one of his best-ever campaigns with 23 outings already this term.
Sadly, however, misfortune appears to be hampering the England international once again.
According to Rosenior, while James has recovered from the knock he was dealing with for the past two games, he’s now come down with an unrelated illness that could keep him out of the squad for Leeds.
"Reece is fit. A small issue, but he’s feeling unwell today,” the Chelsea boss told journalists on Monday. “It’s not a conspiracy, it’s true. Hopefully he’ll be well enough to play tomorrow.
“The staff have been down, my coaching staff, staff around the club.
“Fortunately, only Reece from the players is affected at the moment. It’s something we’re just trying to work on at the moment.”
While he will not definitely miss the clash at Stamford Bridge, the club’s official website introduces the quotes as “casting doubt” on his involvement.
Reece James wasn't having Tomas Soucek's request for a penalty on refcam 😅 pic.twitter.com/qPPf5ERT3JFebruary 6, 2026
Not only the virus, but also Chelsea’s consistent run of having two games a week has forced Rosenior into rotating his squad, something he feels is part of his management style in any case.
“You've seen that we’ve rotated a lot, which you need to do in this stage of the season,” he said.
“If you look at Strasbourg, if you look at Hull, I use rotation all the time. It’s what I believe in.
“They've played all the way through the summer, they've had no pre-season, so they've been magnificent.
“If you want to be successful at the end of the season, you need a freshness and a brightness about your squad in each competition. You need to give people a chance. So that’s one of the things I believe in. I’m not afraid to rotate, I’m not afraid to show my squad trust.”
