It was a big weekend for Chelsea, who scored a nice win over then league leading Liverpool. Team captain Reece James played the full 90 in that victory but he did not come away unscathed. James suffered an unspecified injury of some sort, forcing him to pull out of international duty with England this week.
It may just be a knock, and nothing more serious, but it is substantial enough that he had to replaced in the Three Lions squad by Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly.
Reece James
We don’t know much about his specific condition, other than he’s been ruled out “following medical assessments.”
Cole Palmer
The timeline for the talisman, as he continues convalescing from a nagging groin injury, is delayed once again. “Cole is still out,” Blues boss Enzo Maresca said on Friday.
“I don’t have any updates at the moment. We have a meeting this week to see how he is, and we will then decide [whether he can return after the international break].”
So we’ll see on the 18th, when Chelsea travels to Nottingham Forest.
Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, Andrey Santos
It’s the same target return date for this trio, who just weren’t ready to take on Liverpool, but could be back for the trip to the Tricky Trees. Wesley Fofana is coming out of concussion protocol while Tosin Adarabioyo is recovering from a calf injury. Meanwhile Andrey Santos has an unspecified/undisclosed injury.
Longer Term Injury Absentees
Levi Colwill (knee), Liam Delap (thigh) and Dario Essugo (thigh) all remain sidelined for the long haul.
Team Injury Update Series: October 2025 International Break
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Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter