Reece James signs new six-year deal at Chelsea

England defender will remain at Stamford Bridge until 2028

Reece James has made 128 appearances for Chelsea scoring 10 goals. Getty

Reece James has signed a new five-year contract that will see him remain at Chelsea until 2028.

The 22-year-old England defender, who has 13 caps for his country, has made 128 appearances for the Blues scoring 10 goals.

“I am over the moon with my new contract and I’m thankful for the fans, the new ownership and everyone involved in the club,” James told the club's website.

“I cannot wait to see what the future holds, and I am sure we will have the chance of winning many trophies.

“I grew up supporting this club and I’ve been here since I was a six-year-old. I put pen to paper on a new deal because this is the club I want to be at. I’d like to say a special thanks to the fans, I am here to stay and we have a bright future ahead of us.”

Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly said: ‘We are thrilled to give Reece a new long-term contract at Chelsea.

“He is an outstanding player and a true Chelsea man, and we are all looking forward to watching him continue to flourish at Stamford Bridge.”

The club’s co-controlling owners Behdad Eghbali and Jose E. Feliciano added: “Reece is a very special footballer. His blend of physical and technical ability is a huge asset to our team now and for many years to come.”

James was reportedly a long-term target for Real Madrid, with his previous deal due to expire in 2025.

It has been a hectic summer of activity at Stamford Bridge as the new owners – who bought the club from Roman Abramovich at the end of last season – aim to put their stamp on the club.

The likes of Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, Marcos Alonso, Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner and Callum Hudson-Odoi have all left permanently or sent out on loan.

Thomas Tuchel remains in charge and the German manager has seen more than £250 million worth of talent arrive with Kalidou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana, Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang all joining his playing staff.

Chelsea currently sit sixth in the Premier League, having won three, drawn two and lost one of their opening six games.

They kick-off their Champions League campaign away to Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday.

Chelsea 2 West Ham 1: player ratings

CHELSEA RATINGS: Edouard Mendy 4 - A poor display from Mendy where he seemed to get everything wrong. His clearance fell straight to Declan Rice, before he needed VAR’s assistance after questionable goalkeeping late-on when Maxwel Cornet had the ball in the back of the net. AFP

Kalidou Koulibaly 7 - Assured at the back and dealt with the danger quickly. Koulibaly was solid from the left side, and helped out Cucurella when needed. Action Images

Wesley Fofana 6 - Looked comfortable in Chelsea’s back three, but not enough questions were asked of him by a West Ham attack that only threatened in spells. Getty

Thiago Silva 7 - Excellent positioning and quick to read the play. AP

Marc Cucurella 5 - Didn’t do enough when getting forward other than one cutback that almost led to a Chelsea goal. Brought off for Chilwell in the second half. AFP

Mateo Kovacic 6 - Comfortable in possession but couldn't do much against West Ham’s stubborn defensive back line. AFP

Conor Gallagher 7 - A bright performance from a player looking to earn more minutes in Thomas Tuchel’s side. The academy graduate always wanted to make things happen on the ball, and was unlucky at times with his final pass. Getty

Ruben Loftus-Cheek 6 - Played his role well holding from midfield and transitioning the ball to the brighter creative sparks in Chelsea’s side. PA

Reece James 6 - Played positively on the right but had VAR to thank after his poor header led to West Ham having the ball in the net. AFP

Raheem Sterling 7 - The England international came into the game once Mason Mount was introduced, finding pockets of space to operate from instead of looking to make runs in behind. PA

Christian Pulisic 7 - Could have been helped out by his teammates, who lacked intent with movement in behind. The 23-year-old was confident on the ball, and one of the few Chelsea players who looked to challenge the opposition directly. AFP

SUBS: Armando Broja (Gallagher, 61') 6 - Almost scored but couldn’t get the right power to beat Fabianski. Getty

Mason Mount (Pulisic, 61') 6 - Directness helped Chelsea move the ball into more promising areas, and that got Raheem Sterling on the ball much more regularly. AFP

Kai Havertz (Kovacic, 72') 8 - The German's movement was impressive and his goal sealed Chelsea’s comeback with a strong first-time finish from inside the box. AFP

Ben Chilwell (Cucurella, 72') 9 - Chelsea’s man of the match after coming on in the 72nd minute, scoring a superb equaliser before setting up Havertz's winner. Getty

Jorginho (Loftus-Cheek, 83”) N/R - A mistake late-on almost led to a West Ham goal, only for Maxwel Cornet to hit the post. AFP

WEST HAM RATINGS: Lukasz Fabianski 6 - The West Ham goalkeeper was equal to the majority of Chelsea’s efforts, but couldn’t do anything about two strong finishes for both goals. AP

Emerson Palmieri 6 - Enjoyed a strong battle with Reece James on the left-flank against his former side, and the Italy international tried to get forward to support the attack when he could. EPA

Kurt Zouma 8 - Standout performer for West Ham, displaying his ability to read the play and intercept crosses. The former Chelsea star was unlucky to leave Stamford Bridge without at least a point. EPA

Thilo Kehrer 6 - Some impressive passes helped West Ham transition the ball quickly from back to front. The former PSG star kept things simple with a safe performance defensively. Getty

Vladimir Coufal 5 - Had to do much better to deal with Ben Chilwell, who changed the game when introduced. AFP

Tomas Soucek 6 - Made some important interventions but the 27-year-old could have taken more care with his passing at times. PA

Declan Rice 7 - Broke up the play in the middle of the park throughout the match and helped get West Ham into the lead with an assist for Michail Antonio. AP

Pablo Fornals 5 – Wasteful at times but wasn’t helped by his team who were often slow to get into forward areas. Looked to get the ball into the box but couldn’t find his target. Reuters

Lucas Paqueta 5 - West Ham couldn’t seem to get the attacking midfielder on the ball in the areas where he would be most effective. Replaced by Ogbonna late on. PA

Jarrod Bowen 7 - A bright spark for West Ham across the match and looked to be the player most likely to make something happen. Unlucky not to pick up an assist after beating Cucurella on the byline before producing a promising cross. PA

Michail Antonio 7 - Battled hard against a difficult Chelsea back three and was in the right place to put West Ham into the lead after the hour mark. AFP

SUBS: Said Benrahama (Antonio 74’) N/R - Looked bright when introduced with some positive play down the left-flank, and that helped craft a couple of chances for the Hammers. Getty

Angelo Ogbonna (Paqueta 83’) N/R - Introduced to help protect the point but soon saw his side go 2-1 down. AFP

Maxwel Cornet (Fornals 86’) N/R - Must be wondering how he didn’t end the game with a goal. He should have done much better with his header that hit the post, but he was unlucky to see his goal erased by VAR for a questionable foul by Bowen on Mendy. AFP