"I’m quite shocked" - Paul Merson left surprised by Chelsea star's omission from the England Euro 2024 squad

Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson cannot believe Chelsea star Reece James was excluded from England's 2024 Euro squad. The pundit claims that the full-back deserved a spot despite his injury issues this season.

James has barely found minutes on the pitch during the 2023-24 campaign, having undergone surgery on his injured hamstring. He has registered just 11 appearances for the west Londoners this term.

The full-back returned to fitness at the tail end of the season, coming on as a substitute in the second half of Chelsea's fixtures against Nottingham Forest and Brighton & Hove Albion. However, a red card in their 2-1 victory over the Seagulls saw him miss the final game of the season against Bournemouth through suspension.

Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate named his 26-man squad for the European Championships earlier this week, and Chelsea stars Reece James, Ben Chilwell, and Raheem Sterling were notable omissions.

Despite James' lack of game time, Merson was left perplexed by Southgate's decision to snub the Chelsea captain. He said (via Metro):

"I don’t get that one. I think he’s one of the best in the business. I know he’s had a long injury but [Luke] Shaw’s been out a long time. I’m quite shocked. Kyle Walker plays at right-back but if you bring Reece James as well it opens it up into playing a three at the back sometimes. You might want to play three at the back against better teams."

He added:

"Reece James is one of the best wingbacks about. And then if he goes to right-back, you can put Walker into centre-half and then we might have to chase a game against someone, you’ve got Walker’s pace at the back."

James has registered 158 appearances during his time so far at Stamford Bridge, contributing 11 goals and 22 assists.

"It has to be him" - Emmanuel Petit names Chelsea star who deserves to be captain ahead of Reece James.

Former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Emmanuel Petit has urged the club's next manager to strip Reece James of his captaincy. The Frenchman believes Conor Gallagher deserves the armband ahead of the England international.

James' injury issues have not been exclusive to this season. The Chelsea right-back missed 17 games during the 2022-23 campaign and 20 matches in the previous season due to hamstring and knee injuries.

The defender was handed the captain's armband last summer after Cesar Azpilicueta departed for Atletico Madrid. However, Petit believes James is too unreliable due to his fitness, claiming that Conor Gallagher is the man for the role.

The Frenchman said (via The Mirror):

“We all know James is such a great player and we’re always crossing our fingers that he plays as much as possible. However, how much has he played in the last three years? It’s nowhere near enough. You cannot be the captain when you miss the majority of games - it reminds me of Abou Diaby at Arsenal when you could just never rely on him due to his unfortunate injuries."

Petit added:

“Conor Gallagher should be the club captain, it certainly needs to be considered by the new manager. Gallagher is a symbol on the pitch and plays every game so it has to be him.”

The Blues finished sixth in the league table in the 2023-24 Premier League season on 63 points.