Chelsea have thrown their support behind Reece James after he dismissed links of a possible move to Arsenal.

The England defender brutally shut down an Arsenal fan on social media last night who suggested he should complete a transfer across London.

Kai Havertz completed a £65 million move to the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, but James has no interest in following in his footsteps.

Reece James shuts down Arsenal fan

James delivered the simple response in just three words: "I say no."

The response was widely picked up on social media, receiving 64,000 likes and 25,000 retweets within its first 45 minutes.

There is also increasing demand by Chelsea fans that he is appointed the new captain. This could even happen, as current club captain Cesar Azpilicueta is set to join Inter Milan, last season's Champions League finalists on a free transfer.

Chelsea's response to Reece James

And Chelsea have also responded positively to James dismissing the Arsenal links, tweeting: "One of our own," followed by a blue heart emoji.

The Blues have already lost Havertz to the Gunners this summer in a £65m deal, while Jorginho traded life in the west of the English capital for that in the north during the January window. There appears to be little chance of James heading in the same direction any time soon, however.

Reece James' career at Chelsea

James is under contract at Stamford Bridge until 2028 having signed a new deal last September. He made his senior debut in 2019. In that time, he has picked up a Champions League winners medal. The Academy graduate first joined Chelsea in 2006, when aged just seven years old. He's since gone on to make 147 appearances in all competitions for the club, but his 2022/13 campaign was essentially ruined by injury.

He was out for two months after picking up a knee injury in October, only to sidelined for another month after the problem flared up again in his first game back. In April, his campaign was ended prematurely after picking up a hamstring injury.

James, 23, is already a favourite among Stamford Bridge supporters thanks to his never-say-die attitude, as well as his physical and technical prowess.

It doesn't appear that he will be a victim of the overhaul that manager Mauricio Pochettino is undertaking since he became chief. Along with Havertz, Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, Hakim Ziyech, Mateo Kovacic, N'Golo Kante, and Ruben Loftus Cheek have all been let go.

Chelsea have also agreed a £60m deal with Manchester United for the sale of Mason Mount.