has put his faith in Nicolas Jackson for the remainder of the season, amid reports that Chelsea will dip into the January transfer window.

The ex-Leicester boss also praised for stepping up as a leader after previously stating he expected more from 's captain. Back in October, Maresca called James a "reserved guy" and urged him to show more personality in the dressing room. However, shortly after, James was hit with a hamstring injury that kept him out of action.

Despite concerns about rushing him back too quickly, Maresca believes James' return is crucial for a Chelsea side that hasn't seen a league victory in over a month.

The full back made a significant impact by scoring a last-minute equaliser against Bournemouth last Tuesday, marking his first goal since August 2022. Ahead of hosting Wolves on Monday night, Maresca commented on his skipper's comeback: "It's important but in his mind he can be more important."

He added: "In general Reece is one of the most important players for us because he is the captain. We know since we started with him that having him always fit, fit, fit is better. But we try to adapt." Maresca also noted James' growth in leadership, saying: "Now he's back and we're happy. And he's improving in that [leadership] aspect."

Despite James being sidelined for the majority of the Blues' winless run, Maresca doesn't believe his young squad struggles lacking leaders and game management generally, even though recent matches have seen Chelsea lose leads against , , and .

Instead, Maresca insists his team is on par with the rest of the Premier League competition, save for front-runners Liverpool. "They are not kids, they are 20 years old most of them. They are not kids and they have to deal with it. If some moments like this happen, it's not just for us. All the clubs in this moment have had a moment like ours. The only one [that hasn't] is Liverpool."

He spoke about resilience in the face of adversity: "It's just about how you embrace the moment, try to react and try again to start winning games."

Maresca highlighted that current challenges serve as learning experiences: "It's a new situation now for them that they are living. The next time it happens, they can live it in a better way."

Addressing the attacking line, he has dismissed any notion of signing a new striker this month, despite Nicolas Jackson's erratic form, stating: "Being a little bit more lucky, we can convert and score more goals.

"In this moment the one that is missing is Nico but the way he is working is fantastic and we have no doubt that soon Nico is going to start scoring goals."