Xabi Alonso has made it clear that Reece James’ injury situation will not affect Chelsea's January transfer plans.

Chelsea announced that James underwent successful knee surgery on Friday morning, but this also means that he will be sidelined for quite some time.

Alonso could not give an exact timeline for the Chelsea captain’s possible return, but admitted that it would not be “two, three weeks”. Chelsea will reassess the situation by Christmas, which is more than two months away, while earlier reports suggest James could be out for about three months.

It has been widely reported that a new midfielder is at the top of Chelsea’s January transfer window wishlist, with Bournemouth’s Alex Scott said to be the club’s primary target.

It would therefore make a lot of sense if James’ injury elevated the importance of midfield reinforcement. James, after all, has exclusively played in midfield this season, despite naturally being a right-back.

However, speaking in Friday’s press conference, Alonso has downplayed this assumption.

“No, I don't think so because we expect that, by that time, he'll be back, some weeks before,” the Chelsea manager said when asked whether James’ injury affects the club’s January transfer approach.

“Let's see. It's not an exact timeline with him, so it doesn't affect (our plans).”

The Chelsea boss did not seem too concerned about the depth in midfield. He believes everything is under control, at least until the next international break, which begins on November 9.

“We have until the next break four more Premier League games, a cup game as well,” the Spaniard explained.

“I think that we will be able to manage well with the players that we have, with the options that they have been playing, other ones that are available, so we feel good.”

Aside from James, Chelsea currently have four obvious central midfield options in Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, Jordan Henderson, and Valentin Barco. Malo Gusto has also played in midfield. Additionally, two academy options, Reggie Watson and Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli, could be called upon if needed.

That said, despite Alonso’s calm response, the next several fixtures are undeniably not easy.

Chelsea will travel to Everton on Saturday afternoon. This will then be followed by a derby against Tottenham Hotspur, a Carabao Cup clash with Liverpool, and a league match against Manchester United, all three in the span of a week. 

The Blues will then make another trip north to Sunderland in early November before heading into the second international break of the season.

While Chelsea technically have enough midfield options for this run of fixtures, James’ absence is still a big blow given what he offers to the team both as a player and a captain.

Levi Colwill is expected to wear the armband amid James’ absence, with Caicedo and Cole Palmer being next in line. Chelsea’s summer acquisitions of veterans such as Henderson and Danny Welbeck could also pay off handsomely over the next few weeks.