- James appointed new Chelsea captain
- Spoke about tough journey with the Blues
- Could have left Chelsea in the past
WHAT HAPPENED? The 23-year-old full-back, who joined the Blues at the age of 6, fulfilled a lifelong dream of leading Chelsea as he was announced as Cesar Azpilicueta's successor as the new Blues captain.
After taking on the armband, James revealed that he was close to leaving the club in the past as he felt he was not good enough for the team.
WHAT THEY SAID: Speaking to Chelsea's official website, James said, "The journey's been tough. It hasn't been easy. You know, there were probably a number of occasions where I probably wasn't going to stay at Chelsea because I probably wasn't good enough at the time. And it was tough. I kept on working hard to get to a level where I got a contract. Definitely feels like a new bubble here. We've got a number of new players, new staff, there's a lot of new scenery as well, but we've started pre-season well and the camp feels good.
"So we're excited for the season. I'm going to try and stay as fit as possible to maximise playing time and try to help the team as much as I can. Last season's done and this season we've got new expectations and there's no reason why we can't achieve what we want to achieve. I'm more excited than ever, you know, with our opening game, Liverpool. It couldn't have been a much bigger game on the opening day at home at Stamford Bridge."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: The new Chelsea captain was limited to just 24 appearances in all competitions for the Blues last season due to injury. He scored twice and provided as many assists.
IN THREE PHOTOS:
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA? Mauricio Pochettino's side will begin their journey in the Premier League on Sunday against Liverpool.