Malo Gusto on competing with Reece James: “On the pitch, it’s war”

In an interview with RMC Sport on After Foot, Malo Gusto (20) commented on his competition with Reece James, being called up to the France squad for the first time and the long-term project at Chelsea.

A big topic of conversation for Gusto since he made the switch from Lyon to Chelsea is the competition he has with club captain Reece James. The England international is widely regarded as one of the most complete full-backs in Europe, making it a difficult task for Gusto to displace him in the Chelsea XI when they are both fit and available. When asked about competing with James, Gusto said “On the pitch, it’s war, he knows it very well, we don’t necessarily give each other any favours and it’s the best (player) who will simply play.”  

The former Lyon right-back was recently called up to the France squad for the first time by Didier Deschamps to replace the injured Dayot Upamecano. When asked about how he found out he had been called up to the Les Bleus squad, Gusto said “A phone call whilst I was on the train“. The right-back was also quizzed on the impact of his transfer to Chelsea on receiving his first selection, to which he responded “Automatically, without wanting to, you go to another dimension but you have to know how to manage it and that’s what I try to do. I am very close to my family, and they are there to put my feet back on the ground even if I have always had them there.“

Chelsea’s start to the Premier League season has not been as Mauricio Pochetino would have imagined with the Blues totalling 11 points from their first 8 matches. The 21-year-old was dismissive of their unideal start to the season, stating “It’s a long-term project. Little by little with the team, we are trying to create a real group that will move forward together to put Chelsea back where they need to be and win everything.“

Chelsea have built a large French contingent within the squad, with Wesley Fofana, Axel Disasi, Malang Sarr, Benoît Badiashile, Lesley Ugochukwu and Christopher Nkunku all playing alongside Gusto. The France U21 International also commented on the importance of having lots of compatriots within the squad: “We get along well, we try to help each other as much as possible. We all hope to play together in the same team”.

GFFN | Liam Wraith