REECE JAMES (£4m) enjoyed himself at the weekend.
Ange Postecoglou’s Nottingham Forest started well against Chelsea at the City Ground but once the visitors got a foothold in the game, the hosts crumbled without resistance, as was too often the case under the Australian coach before his departure.
Pedro Neto (£3.6m) and Josh Acheampong (£2.4m) posted big scores but it was the Blues’ captain who performed best with an impressive 19-point haul.
Only Crystal Palace’s hat-trick hero Jean-Philippe Mateta (£4.5) added more points to his tally than James during the latest round of Premier League fixtures.
REECE JAMES AT THE CITY GROUND
- 90 minutes played +2 pts
- 1 goal +6 pts
- 1 assist +3 pts
- 1 clean sheet +5 pts
- 2 shots on target +2 pts
- 1 bonus point +1 pt
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Needless to say, this was comfortably James’s best performance of the campaign so far.
The deadline is a few days away but the 25-year-old is currently the fifth-most recruited player ahead of Gameweek 9 and it’s easy to see why.
Enzo Maresca’s side will host Sunderland this coming Saturday before travelling to Wolves in the Carabao Cup last 16 in what has to be considered a relatively favourable double header.
The Black Cats have performed superbly since promotion but they’re far from a free-scoring team while Vitor Pereira’s mob are bottom of the table having mustered just two points from eight league outings, although in fairness they have fared better in the cup.
Not only does James have friendly fixtures in the diary, he’s virtually guaranteed substantial minutes as his main rival at right-back, Malo Gusto (£3.3m), will serve a one-match suspension having been sent off against Forest.
James has been dogged by injuries in recent years but – touch wood! – he’s largely been untroubled this season, missing just two England qualifiers with a minor issue.
Furthermore, recruiting him now would likely mean getting ahead of a substantial price increase.
Although there’s still the small matter of Ajax’s visit to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday before Gameweek 8 is complete.
The Dutch giants are still thought of as a relatively big European name but this current side are not the strongest.
John Heitinga’s men are currently fourth in the Eredivisie having failed to win five of their nine league games and they rank 35th out of 36 in the Champions League having lost their first two games without scoring a goal.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if James pocketed more points tomorrow night, which would only increase his appeal ahead of Friday’s deadline.
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Whether the England defender is a viable long-term selection is another conversation.
Given his injury history, his workload is managed to a certain degree and it’s simply true that his total points tally prior to Saturday’s mega haul was distinctly average.
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But James may well prove to be a smart roll of the dice with Chelsea due to face Sunderland, Wolves (x2), Spurs, Qarabag and Burnley across the next month or so.
He currently appears in 7% of teams.
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