Injured Lauren James set to miss start of Chelsea’s WSL campaign | OneFootball

Lauren James

Chelsea have confirmed that Lauren James is injured – likely putting her out of contention for the start of the Women’s Super League season.

A club statement did not mention a timescale, just a “period of time”, nor any further details, simply mentioning that she suffered the injury while with England during Euro 2025.

It seems inevitable that she will miss the Blues’ opening WSL fixture of the campaign when they take on Manchester City on Friday, 5th September.

The news will not come as a surprise to fans who followed the tournament. Although the 23-year-old started four of the Lionesses’ six matches, she was substituted at half-time of the semi-final against Italy, replaced by Beth Mead.

And although she started in the final against Spain, she looked uncomfortable from the outset, and was taken off shortly before the break – replaced this time by Chloe Kelly.

Lauren James’s injury history

James had been dealing with injury prior to the tournament, though. She suffered a hamstring injury during England’s 5-0 win against Belgium at Bristol City’s Ashton Gate in April, when she was replaced by clubmate Aggie Beever-Jones at half-time. It meant she missed out on the return fixture the following week, and also Chelsea’s run-in to the WSL title.

Prior to that, she picked up a calf injury ahead of the Blues’ Women’s Champions League win over FC Twente in October 2024. It put paid to a run of excellent domestic form, in which she had played four of Chelsea’s five opening fixtures in the 2024-25 season, and also forced her out of the England squad for the friendlies against Germany and South Africa.

She returned to action only in January, when Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor anticipated her comeback by saying: “LJ is a player who has a lot of qualities and talent. In possession of the ball she is one of the best in the world. LJ is a creative player so most people enjoying football watch these players.

“She is dying for that [to get back playing]. She loves football, so passionate, and when she’s not on the pitch she is so sad. It’s been a long time, but she’s been working hard and had the right mentality.”

Lauren James’s rise to the top

James signed for Chelsea from Manchester United in the summer of 2021, and was named the PFA Women’s Young Player of the Year in 2023.

She was Chelsea’s player of the year in 2023-24 off the back of a summer where she helped England to the Women’s World Cup final, despite receiving a red card for violent conduct against Nigeria in the first knockout game.