Football365
·31 January 2026
Chelsea star deemed ‘best in the world’ as he’s ‘better’ than ‘unbelievable’ Arsenal standout

In partnership with
Yahoo sportsFootball365
·31 January 2026

Chelsea star Reece James has been hailed as the “best in the world” and one of his former coaches has explained why he’s “better” than an Arsenal standout.
When James is fit and at his best, it’s hard to argue against the point that he is among the best right-backs in the world.
However, the Chelsea and England star is injury-prone and has certainly been outshone by Arsenal star Jurrien Timber this season.
Timber has arguably been Arsenal‘s most consistent performer this season, with Manchester United legend Paul Scholes recently claiming that he has outperformed Declan Rice this term.
“I really like [Rice], but I’m struggling to see that he is the best player in the league at this point,” Scholes said on The Overlap.
“I think your defenders have probably had a bigger influence than Declan Rice.
“I like him but I’m just saying I don’t think he is the best player in the Premier League this year.
“I just think your defenders have had a bigger influence, the likes of Timber. I think Timber has been unbelievable. I think he has been brilliant.
Despite this, former Chelsea player and coach Jody Morris has explained why he thinks James is “better” than Timber and on par with another world-class star.
“I used to joke with him [Reece James], saying if he played up front on Saturday you would still be alright,” Morris told AceOdds.
“He used to laugh but I was deadly serious! He’s just a gifted player. It can sometimes go against him how good he is in multiple different roles.
“I got asked about the Premier League Team of the Year the other day and I put Timber at right-back. Timber’s not a better right-back than Reece James, but he’s playing there all the time.
“For me, if Reece plays right-back the majority of the time, he’ll be the best right-back in the world along with Hakimi.
“I get it when you have a player of that level who can fill in different positions when you need him, but I felt there were times when he played in midfield when he was better suited to being the best right-back in the league.
“None of this surprises me with Reece. I’m just really pleased that his injuries have stayed away for over a year now.
“He’s looking fitter than ever, and long may it continue because it’ll help us with England having a chance in the summer.”








































