Josh Acheampong lists three reasons why Reece James is his 'role model' at Chelsea
Chelsea fans absolutely adore Reece James, and his teammate Josh Acheampong clearly does as well.
For Acheampong, James is a bit of a role model for multiple reasons, which the 19-year-old has recently discussed.
James played a big part in Chelsea‘s victory over Benfica last time out, opening the scoring with a clever free-kick.
Following his goal, James was spotted copying Angel Di Maria‘s iconic love heart celebration with the Argentine standing not too far away from him.
- READ MORE: Chelsea fans have a lot to say about ‘freak talent’ Josh Acheampong after Club World Cup performance
Josh Acheampong admires Reece James because of Cobham journey, position and captaincy
James was not always scoring big goals for Chelsea’s first team. The defender was, of course, once part of the club’s academy.
That successful transition from Chelsea’s academy to their first team is why Acheampong looks up to James, being a Cobham graduate himself.
James is also Acheampong’s role model because he plays in the same position as the England youth international and wears the captain’s armband.
“Reece is a role model for me,” Acheampong told Chelsea’s official club website. “He’s come through Cobham, plays the same position as me, and is now club captain.
“He is someone you can go to and he will give you his knowledge; it’s the same with Levi [Colwill] and Trev [Trevoh Chalobah]. They can relate to your situation because they will probably have gone through it too.”
Acheampong could get more opportunities to fill in for James next season if Malo Gusto leaves the club this summer.
Bayern Munich are thought to be interested in Gusto, so the German giants could sign the French full-back during this transfer window.
Josh Acheampong discusses first Premier League start
There is a long way to go before Acheampong ousts James from the Chelsea team. He only made his full Premier League debut in January, starting in a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace.
On that experience, the right-back said: “I try not to overthink things. In my first Premier League game against Crystal Palace, I came out and the camera was right in my face. That was a moment where I was like ‘woah, what’s going on here?’ but I didn’t let it affect me and got on with playing my game.”
In total, Acheampong only made four appearances in the Premier League last season, but he seems to have convinced clubs in the division with those appearances and games he has played in other competitions.
It has been claimed that a few English teams want to sign Acheampong, though any move is likely to hinge on whether Gusto remains at Stamford Bridge. If the France international does, then Acheampong could be allowed to leave on loan.
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