Forgotten Chelsea star reveals how Reece James helped him during dark times | OneFootball

Omari Kellyman has revealed club captain Reece James really helped him during his recovery from a hamstring injury.

DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL CHELSEA NEWS APP FOR ALL THE LATEST UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON THE APP STORE

Kellyman joined Chelsea in the summer of 2024 from Aston Villa for £19m, and was involved in the part of the deal which saw Ian Maatsen join the Midlands club.

The 20-year-old has yet to make an appearance for the Blues, and his time at the club so far has been plagued by injury.

Omari Kellyman reveals how Reece James helped during injury hell

Kellyman picked up a serious hamstring injury in the summer of 2024, but made his comeback for the under-21s in March last year.

However, on just his second appearance back he was forced off with another hamstring injury which he underwent surgery on.

Kellyman is thriving on loan at Cardiff City. (Photo by Pete Norton/Getty Images)

The youngster is now thriving on loan at League One side Cardiff City, and has scored seven goals in 30 appearances, with the Bluebirds currently top of the league.

With his injury woes seemingly behind him, Kellyman has revealed how it was James who really helped him during his recovery.

“I had great support from all the lads, most of the players would check up on me every day. With Reece [James], Romeo [Lavia] and Wes [Fofana]. I also spent a lot of time doing rehab with them,” he told The Athletic.

“Reece checked up on me so much. The injuries he has had are very similar to mine. He is the one I understood the most because a lot of the challenges were similar to what I was going through.

“The difference is that everyone already knew how good he was, but he still faced the same talk from people about not being able to stay fit.”

Chelsea captain leading by example

It’s great to see James is leading by example both on and off the pitch, and you can see he’s really grown into his leadership role.

More Stories / Latest News

“Chelsea would always sell” – Blues happy to shift even biggest stars at the right price

25th Feb 2026, 10:00am

Forgotten Chelsea star reveals how Reece James helped him during dark times

25th Feb 2026, 09:45am

“He basically said” – Cartlon Cole reveals telling thing Axel Disasi told him about Chelsea legend

25th Feb 2026, 09:15am

Robert Sanchez revealed James was the first player out on the training pitch, and he’s clearly the leader of this young squad.

James is still having his minutes managed to an extent, but has been available regularly this season and has put in some top performances at both right back and in midfield.

Check out the latest edition of Simon Phillips’ SPTC podcast here: