Reece James could be fully recovered, but he will still miss the start of next season due to suspension.

 

Chelsea’s captain received a straight red card in the 2-1 win at Amex Stadium against Brighton for kicking Joao Pedro.

Just 19 minutes after coming off the bench, the right-back, who has only appeared in nine Premier League matches this season, was sent off. The 24-year-old defender reacted angrily to a collision with Pedro, after which he kicked the Brighton player directly from the ground.

Referee Michael Salisbury was called to the pitchside monitor following the VAR intervention, where he showed James a straight red card. And the Chelsea star received a red card in the 4-1 loss to Newcastle earlier this season, so he will now miss four matches.

That would rule the defender out of the final Premier League game of the season against Bournemouth on Sunday and the first three games of next season.

 

Reece James is banned from playing until next season (photo: talkSPORT).

James’ crazy moment threatened to cause Chelsea to lose all points in the match against Brighton. At the time he was sent off, Chelsea were leading 2-0 going into extra time, but then Danny Welbeck reduced the score late.

The Seagulls were unable to find an equalizer, and with so little time remaining, the Blues have now surpassed Newcastle to climb to sixth place on the rankings. And they can finish fifth, provided they beat Bournemouth on Sunday and Tottenham lose away to Sheffield United.