The year 2026 marks two decades since Reece James joined the Chelsea academy at the age of just six.
And so it’s somewhat fitting that the anniversary will be celebrated by the 26-year-old signing a contract extension that could keep him at Stamford Bridge until 2032.
Reports suggest that James will earn around £250,000 a week, with further bonuses based upon his individual – and the team’s – performances.
It’s a considerable outlay over the term of a long old contract, and yet you somehow suspect that James – who supported Chelsea as a boy – is, both in terms of his playing ability and what he means to the club in this modern era, worth every penny.
The Revolving Door
How many players have passed through the entrance and exit doors since James first attended Chelsea training 20 years ago?
A lot, is the inevitable answer.
In theory, this should be a stable Chelsea squad, given the length of contracts that have been handed out to players.
Robert Sanchez, Malo Gusto and Benoit Badiashile are amongst those contracted to the club until 2030, Moises Caicedo and Pedro Neto are in the group with deals running until 2031, and Enzo Fernandez is under contract until 2032.
Oh, and then there’s Cole Palmer, Estevao and even Nicolas Jackson, who have put pen to paper on agreements keeping them at Stamford Bridge until 2033.
Of course, contracts count for very little in modern football. And the likelihood of any of the players mentioned still being at the club until the end of those deals is remote, in many cases.
These long-term deals are also an accounting quirk too, helping Chelsea to tiptoe around some of football’s more archaic profit and sustainability rules but spreading the cost of player salaries over lengthier periods.
Of that group, you sense it’s only James that will remain at the club for the long haul. He has remained a consistent presence in the dressing room amidst the chaos around him – Chelsea’s revolving door policy when it comes to transfers not exactly helping the club to establish modern day legends.
By our count, since the start of the 2023/24 season, 26 players have left Chelsea on a permanent basis and ten on free transfers – not to mention the three different permanent head coaches the club has had in that span.
But for all that transition, and his own injury woes, James has retained his Blues blood – he is perhaps the first player since John Terry and Frank Lampard to truly embody the spirit of the fans and the club as a whole.
Chelsea’s One Club Men
Originally, James’ former deal was due to expire in 2028, so the extension will keep him at Stamford Bridge for the foreseeable future – potentially, for the rest of his career.
Made in Cobham. Here to stay. pic.twitter.com/0u0TqljnVC
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) March 13, 2026
He’s won the Champions League and the Club World Cup in a silverware-laden spell in London, alongside the UEFA Conference League and Super Cup.
And for all the injury issues that dogged his early years, James is tentatively on track to join Chelsea’s all-time appearances club. At the time of writing, he’s on 225 games – if he can muster the small matter of 200 more, he will usurp Kerry Dixon and enter the top ten.
The 2025/26 campaign has been a particularly good one for James, who has played plenty of minutes – suggesting his former physical fragility is now behind him – in a couple of different positions.
That versatility, which enables him to play as a right back or in midfield, saw James become one of Enzo Maresca’s favourites and retained as club captain. He has become a strong leader… like many of Chelsea’s greats before him.
All of which makes you wonder if James will go on to become the next one-club man in Blues history.
Some of the greatest, longest serving players in Chelsea’s history ultimately went on to play for somebody else – even for a brief period, or had started their career elsewhere.
So, officially, there’s only two members currently in Chelsea’s exclusive one-club man group. The first was Tommy Law, who played 292 times (318 including non-competitive games) for the Blues between 1925 and 1939 – remember, this was in the days before the fixture list went into full chaos mode with domestic cups and continental competitions.
And the second is Ken Shellito, who spent his entire career at Chelsea – albeit making around 130 appearances across six years.
His playing days were cruelly cut short by a knee injury, which forced Shellito to retire at the age of just 25. He won one cap for England, and would later go on to manage the Blues during the 1977/78 season.