It has been almost four months since Reece James’ last Chelsea appearance. In that time Malo Gusto has dealt with an injury of his own, grabbed three assists in the league, and asserted himself as one of the best full-backs in the league.
For a 20-year-old that cost comparatively little to those that play around him on a weekly basis this is a big claim but it also true. After 28 games this season – of which he has played in 21 – Gusto averages more tackles per90 than any other defender.
Add in his output moving forward – after all he did used to be a winger in Lyon’s academy – and there is a well-rounded, balanced, and impressive right-back already performing. Only Cole Palmer has more than Gusto’s eight assists in all competitions for the Blues whilst in the league there are just three defenders to have bettered his five so far.
Per90 it is only Kieran Trippier that can match his assists tally of those with more than 1,000 minutes played. Even being in the 10th worst defence in the division – and Chelsea have played at least one fewer game than everyone so that standing could well drop given they are conceding two per match across the past two months – hasn’t dampened the hype around Gusto.
There is certainly a word of caution around him though. Against Burnley on Saturday he started his sixth league game in a row, the most he has managed since arriving in the summer, and pulled up late on holding his hamstring. Already in the past 14 months he has missed 15 games with muscular injuries and that extends to 21 in a year and a half.
Gusto picked up a medium-term problem just weeks after his deal to join Chelsea was announced. It was somehow poetic and ironic as they looked to find a strong back-up that could genuinely compete with James, something they haven’t had since his introduction to the side as a teenager under Frank Lampard.
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James went from playing more than 4,000 minutes with Wigan in the Championship at 18 – starting 44 of 46 matches with 45 total appearances – to now under 3,300 in the top division since 2021. The 24-year-old’s body has let him down too often in recent times and there is a warning within this for Chelsea.
Gusto has never played more than 2,000 minutes in a league season. He is on course to play the most games in a single campaign in his career to date. It is thus far a short career but the signs are there that Chelsea cannot ignore.
Their injury crisis this season which has often seen 10 players missing on a weekly basis has put unexpected stress on Gusto. The question entering the season was whether he would be able to mount enough of a challenge on James to develop. That matter is now laughable and Mauricio Pochettino must instead attempt to manage his load.
A fortnight ago he recovered from illness to return to the team against Burnley. He is now in the clear despite the late scare to play against Manchester United on Thursday. Even without European football there are understandable worries over whether he can continually complete 75 minutes plus at the top level without it having a big toll on him physically.
Due to there being no natural occupiers for the position beyond Gusto in the squad the importance on him has been heightened but the same can be said of others. Axel Disasi has played over 2,300 minutes in his debut season, more than all but two players in the entirety of last year despite there still being 10 games left.
Moises Caicedo’s workload has been spread across covering more ground than his days at Brighton so even with less game time coming from it, he has also been stretched to the maximum. Enzo Fernandez has been in the same boat, as has Conor Gallagher and to an extent Nicolas Jackson.
Those that are regulars in the Chelsea team are understandably extremely fit, that’s what Pochettino tends to do best, but a lack of support from others has added to the strain. With United coming to Stamford Bridge on Thursday and Gusto with his band of brothers all likely to feature, it will be yet another test of their durability as much as anything.
With Gusto they will be more wary than ever. Not only does he look like a special talent but also because the echoes of Reece James will be so strong.
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