Enzo Maresca told Chelsea have a ‘brilliant’ player who is just as good at passing as Trent Alexander-Arnold

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Enzo Maresca has enjoyed a scintillating start to the new league season as Chelsea remained unbeaten heading into the international break.

The Blues boss will be eager to have his senior players return to Stamford Bridge unscathed after Joao Pedro vomited on the pitch during Brazil’s 3-0 win against Chile.

Pedro has confirmed the incident is not serious and was the result of a contact injury, which will come much to the relief of Maresca – the Brazilian has dazzled throughout his first games as a Chelsea player.

Marc Cucurella put in an impressive display for Spain, with other first-teamers also impressing for their national teams. While everyone at Cobham will be pleased to see the players performing so well, the onus is on returning to club football and not letting up after a fantastic start.

However, another senior star for the Blues has found joy during the international break, and former Tottenham ace Aaron Lennon has piled on the praise.

Reece James is a better all-round player than Trent Alexander-Arnold

Lennon appeared on the Premier League All Access podcast, and when co-host Sam Matterface drew comparisons between Reece James and Trent Alexander-Arnold, Lennon said he believes the Chelsea captain is the better all-round player.

“I think, like I said, drafting service is absolutely brilliant. Like you said, he’s had his issues with injuries. If he can stay fit for me right now, I think that’s his spot to take. Um, like you said, Trent will come into that picture, and I think even Kyle Walker will still have a say and want to be knocking on that door. Um, but I do feel like Reece James has probably all round the best of everything.

“I think he’s good going forward, but I also think also defensively, I think he’s really sound also. Um, but yeah, it was a lovely ball. He’s technically brilliant. We’ve seen that in the past. He’s also brilliant on free kicks, like you said, we’ve seen in the last game. So he’s, um, he’s a fantastic player.

“Like you said, the only issue with him is can he stay fit for the season, which has been a worry for him.”

Walker dubbed James “incredible” when asked to comment on the Chelsea star, and even went as far as to say James is like Trent, himself, and Kieran Trippier combined.

The 25-year-old has endured a career blighted with long-term injury concerns, and James returned to England duty in March, having not made an appearance for the national side since 2023 prior to the call-up.

Indeed, the Englishman has missed an astonishing 129 matches through injury and has been sidelined for over 500 days since making his Chelsea debut against Grimsby Town in 2019.

However, amid all the spending the Blues have conducted over the years, the club have not sought a new right-back to replace James, even with versatile defender Jorrel Hato arriving from Ajax this summer – the Dutchman cannot operate on the right side of defence.

How do Reece James and Trent Alexander-Arnold compare?

James managed 19 Premier League appearances for Chelsea last season, returning one goal and one assist.

A far cry from the five goals and nine assists he contributed during the 2021/22 campaign, but last year was another one dominated by injuries for the full-back.

However, based on passing-specific metrics, James actually outperformed the Real Madrid star last season in all aspects, excluding progressive passing distance.

While Trent is known as one of the best passers of a ball in Premier League history, perhaps it is now time for James to enter the conversation in this regard.