Reece James reflects on ‘sh*t times’ at Chelsea as he opens up on ‘draining’ season in diary entry

Reece James has opened up on the ‘sh*t moment’ he finds himself in at Chelsea, after another injury-ravaged season for the Blues.

The England international started just 14 games in the Premier League with a knee injury and then a hamstring injury reducing him to a watching brief in Chelsea’s car crash of a season.

And has opened up on a ‘super tough’ campaign in a diary entry he shared on social media.

‘Injuries affect me so much. When I’m not playing, I feel like the world’s against me,’ James wrote. ‘The smallest of things will send me wild. It ain’t right or normal but it is what it is.

‘I try so hard but mentally it’s tough, super tough, and draining. The outside world think this “football life’ is the perfect life, well let me tell you it’s far from that. Many people won’t ever know what it’s like but it’s a crazy journey, full of highs and lows.

‘Where do I sit in that (at the moment), currently the lowest of my lows in my career so far. It’s s**t but with hard work and patience things improve, without rain nothing grows!”

James has previously shared how injury has affected his mental health on Instagram, doing so at the end of 2022, when he called the year ‘the toughest to date’ and thanked his fans for their support.

The diary entry what James has done to boost his mental wellbeing and force his attention away from his personal struggles.

‘Recently I’ve tried many things to take my mind off football and injuries and how the season’s gone,’ James added. ‘I started to box which I really enjoy and also tennis I thoroughly enjoy too.

‘These are places my mind thinks of nothing else which helps me day to day. One thing i will say is with s**t times comes big lessons.

‘I’ve learnt so much as a person. I’m grateful for what I’ve learnt because this will be used when I’m in a s**t moment again. Cream always rises to the TOP! I’ll be back. The greatest never fold.’