Chelsea’s Lauren James shows how giving promising young players time can pay off

Not since Kelly Smith have I been as excited by a player as I am by Lauren James in the women’s game. The England and Chelsea striker has the potential to be one of the best in the world.

James is only 21 but she has shown her raw attributes for a number of years and has constantly improved to become one of the most exciting players in the Women’s Super League.

Chelsea sit second in the table, a point behind Manchester United but with a game in hand, and James is one of the key reasons for their title challenge. She is finding consistency in her performances, keeping them at a high level each week, and it is making her more confident, which is a great attribute.

James has natural ability and is incredibly graceful in how she moves the ball for someone so quick and powerful. She effortlessly glides with the ball and I have not seen another player do this. I also enjoy how she can manipulate the ball and her ability to finish with either foot. The scary thing is that she is so young and has lots of time to grow and develop.

People have known about James for a long time but the journey to the top is rarely straightforward. I remember hearing about her when she was a youngster at Arsenal and I saw her first as a teenager at United, where she stood out, especially for someone so young. She was given a call-up to an England training camp aged 18 in 2020, a sign of how highly thought of she is within the national setup. It took until last September for her to finally make her international debut but she has not looked back.

Emma Hayes, the Chelsea manager, took her time with James, saying the club needed to “build Lauren James to last”. It was a bold decision considering the £200,000 fee paid to bring the then 19-year-old back