Chelsea youngster Josh Acheampong refused to pick himself when asked which defender or midfielder in the Blues squad would make the best striker.
Josh Acheampong, 19, has shown some great versatility since stepping up from the Chelsea academy to the first team in 2025.
So far, the England Under-21 international has played a mix of centre-half and right-back for Enzo Maresca’s side. The biggest takeaway from the defender’s game is his incredible composure and athleticism, which is why many people are tipping him for a huge future.
Jason Cundy compared Acheampong to Rio Ferdinand because of the way he can break forward with the ball, so the expectation on his young shoulders continues to grow.
Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty ImagesJosh Acheampong thinks Reece James could play striker
During a Q&A with Chelsea’s official website, Acheampong answered a series of intriguing questions.
The youngster mentioned Blues captain Reece James, 25, on a couple of occasions.
Q: And which of our defenders/midfielders would make the best striker?
A: “Reece James, I think he used to play as a striker as a kid.”
Q: Who tends to be the first player out for training?
A: “Reece James.”
Even though James is now a right-back by trade, we’ve seen him play multiple positions at Stamford Bridge. It turns out he was actually a centre-forward right at the start of his football journey as well.
He strikes a ball as well as most players in the Chelsea squad, so we wouldn’t be surprised if he could do a solid emergency job at the top end of the pitch.
James admits he regularly played in midfield during his academy days before transforming into one of the world’s elite full-backs. We even saw him cover at centre-half during last weekend’s Premier League win against Liverpool because of the injury crisis.
Photo by Robin Jones/Getty ImagesInjury news on Reece James
There is always a big intake of breath whenever there is a mention of an injury for James because he’s been very unfortunate in the last few years.
The Chelsea skipper did pull out of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the October international break.
It has been described as a short-term injury for James that has forced him out of the England group. We’ll wait and see if he’s ready for Chelsea’s next match on 18 October away to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
In fairness, the defender has looked strong in 2025 and played a lot of football without any problems. Blues head coach Maresca deserves credit for the way he’s managed him.