Reece James insists Chelsea’s ambition will not be dampened even if they emerge from the Roman Abramovich era of excess.

“Nothing is going to change,” said the defender after Chelsea’s win over Watford, when new owner Todd Boehly hailed Thomas Tuchel’s side after the final whistle.

Abramovich’s lavish spending has helped Chelsea win 19 major trophies in 19 years. With the £4.25bn takeover completed, this summer represents the first test of Boehly’s willingness to spend.

Reece James opened up about meeting Boehly and doesn’t expect anything to change with him

“It was a strange moment for the club with the change of owners,” said James. “It will be different in the future. The ambition will always be the same. We are a huge club in the world and our goal is to win all the trophies we can.

On Boehly, he added: “I spoke to him briefly. I know he is passionate about the club, his goal is to win. We are not just going to change to a club that participates… everyone who plays in this club is ambitious.

“You play at this club for a reason. The quality of the players is so high. It doesn’t matter who owns it, we are the ones who go out and perform on the pitch and next season we will have more competitions to play in and hopefully some more trophies under our belt.

This long and difficult campaign ended with two trophies – the Super Cup and the Club World Cup – but Chelsea lost the FA Cup and Carabao Cup finals on penalties.

Chelsea have won two pieces of silverware but have also lost two cup finals to Liverpool this season

James said he would not be happy with another season like this, despite all the turmoil caused by the sanctions.

“It could have affected us in the wrong way, but I don’t think too many of us understood that,” he said.

As Sportsmail reported, Boehly is aware of the urgency to tie James and fellow academy graduate Mason Mount to new deals.

James had a great season but admits it was his worst injury campaign

But James, who still has three years at his boyhood club, said ‘at the moment nothing is happening with a contract’. The 22-year-old created Ross Barkley’s winner against Watford to cap another great campaign – albeit marred by injury. It was not comforting for James to know that his absence was keenly felt.

“I don’t really want to be out there for people to say we miss him. I want to play every game I can and this season has probably been my worst injury season.

“I picked up more than ever before. It’s something I need to work on before the new season. I’m sure there are a few things I can adapt or change for the new season, to try to change and make sure I don’t repeat the same injuries.