Transfer Talk: Hudson-Odoi must Bridge gap to first team or banish Blues

Callum Hudson-Odoi’s career has not taken off the way he expected since he made his England debut in 2019.

Then just 18 years old, Hudson-Odoi was touted as one of the great talents in English football and had Bayern Munich desperate to sign him.

Three years on, the electric winger has reportedly asked to leave Chelsea on loan with interest from a number of parties.

We take a look at what may come next for the Blues academy graduate ahead of the Blues’ clash with Tottenham on Sunday.

Early snub

After missing the final three months of last season with an Achilles problem, Hudson-Odoi was expected to be part of Thomas Tuchel’s plans this term.

But he was not in the squad for Saturday’s 1-0 win at Everton despite a shortage of attacking options — which has left him far from pleased.

This comes after spending more time at right wing-back than his favoured position on the left wing when he was fit last season.

A seemingly uneasy relationship with boss Tuchel does not help matters.

Earlier this year, he said: “It’s definitely a different sort of manager compared to the other ones I’ve been under. He’s always on his toes, always up and ready to make a gesture or talk. Just very vocal.

“It’s good on the pitch but sometimes it’s like, ‘Can you quieten down a little bit, not shout as much?’ But it’s OK.”

The Blues’ options

Despite signing Raheem Sterling for £47.5million from Manchester City, the Blues are not bursting with options going forward.

Romelu Lukaku has headed on loan to Inter Milan, Timo Werner is on the verge of returning to RB Leipzig and the likes of Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech have been linked with moves away.

Mason Mount, Sterling and Kai Havertz started up top at Goodison Park, with Armando Broja and Pulisic coming on and Ziyech an unused substitute.

Of course, Reece James and either Ben Chilwell or new signing Marc Cucurella have license to bomb forward in their wing-back roles.

If he takes any chances given to him, there appears space for Hudson-Odoi to shine. Whether or not he wants to continue to fight for a starting spot at Stamford Bridge is another question.

Limited opportunities

There is certainly still a question mark over how good Hudson-Odoi actually is, given he has never had a run in the side in his preferred position.

In his 11 league starts and four sub appearances in 2021-22, he netted once and set up two goals.

His 2.33 chances created per 90 minutes was the 10th best mark in the league, while 0.28 big chances created was 40th.

Hudson-Odoi attempted to take on players once every 37 minutes and successfully beat them once every 60.

In the right role, Hudson-Odoi’s potential is clear to see. He just needs regular minutes.

Interested parties

Borussia Dortmund are the standout name in the list of clubs keen on Hudson-Odoi this summer.

It was three years ago when fellow Bundesliga giants Bayern were desperate to land him, only for Chelsea to say no and eventually tie him down to a five-year contract.

Closer to home, both Newcastle and Southampton have been tipped to have an interest.

And if it does become clear that the Blues will let him out on loan before the window shuts, expect more clubs to join the race.

Best move

There is no guarantee that leaving Chelsea is the right move for Hudson-Odoi.

He got opportunities before being injured last term, knows players could depart and with four competitions to compete in, as well as the winter World Cup to consider, he will get a chance in the first team.

But that might not be acceptable to the Wandsworth-born ace, and the other options are tempting.

Dortmund have a phenomenal record of developing young players — the likes of Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland are the perfect examples.

Newcastle continue to improve under Eddie Howe and expectations are for them to push into the top 10 this year.

But Southampton might be the best bet. Broja’s stock rose substantially when he made a loan switch to Saints last summer.