Chelsea have confirmed captain Reece James has undergone successful minor knee surgery.

James missed Chelsea's last two games, a 3-0 defeat at Brentford and 5-1 win against Bournemouth, after suffering an injury in training.

The club confirmed the 26-year-old has already started his recovery, with reports suggesting he could be sidelined for three months.

James has made six appearances for the Blues this season, with Xabi Alonso's side sitting sixth in the Premier League ahead of Saturday's trip to Everton.

The right-back has struggled with injuries since breaking into the Chelsea first-team; he has suffered various hamstring injuries in each of the last four seasons.

In fact, the 2025-26 campaign (44) was the first time James played over 40 games for Chelsea in a single season since 2020-21 (47).

Chelsea Football Club has released the following update regarding Reece James.

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 16, 2026

Alonso could start Pedro Neto in the right-wingback role as he did against Bournemouth, while summer signing Marco Palestra made his return from injury against the Cherries.

Though they are the third-highest goalscorers in the Premier League this season (15), no side has conceded more so far this term than Chelsea (13).

The Blues have conceded in each of their last 22 league games, only once having a longer run without a clean sheet (31 games between November 1960 and August 1961).