Chelsea will have to choose: Eden Hazard or Callum Hudson-Odoi

Chelsea wants Eden Hazard to extend and Callum Hudson-Odoi to stay. The Blues will need to pick one or risk losing both by next season.

Callum Hudson-Odoi is ready. Maurizio Sarri knows it. Chelsea knows it. Bayern Munich knows it. And perhaps most telling of all, Hudson-Odoi knows it.

Hudson-Odoi will not wait for Chelsea to find a path for him. He will make his own path. Right now, Bayern Munich can offer that clearly. But Chelsea has it blocked by Eden Hazard.

If Chelsea wants to extend Hazard, as they surely do want, then Hudson-Odoi will leave. If Chelsea truly wants to back Hudson-Odoi, it will mean making a decision on Hazard right away and allowing the Belgian to go. Trying to hold on to both will only end with Chelsea having neither.

Maurizio Sarri says Hudson-Odoi is on the same level as Pedro and Willian now. That means he can directly compete but it does not mean he will necessarily start over them every time. And in the summer when Christian Pulisic arrives, then there will be further competition for the spot.

Bayern is offering Hudson-Odoi a very tempting alternative. There, he would have a very clear path to the first team. Not only that, but he can get silverware and Champions League football virtually every single year. Chelsea cannot currently offer the same on either front.

But if Hazard is allowed to go, then suddenly the path is much more clear for Hudson-Odoi. Would it hurt to lose the star player? Absolutely. But if Chelsea trusts Hudson-Odoi’s talent (as Bayern clearly do), then it will not be long before Hudson-Odoi can fill in those shoes.

If Hazard goes, and assuming Chelsea does not sign a marquee replacement, Hudson-Odoi’s biggest competition on the wing would become Willian. Since Sarri already sees him as level with Willian, that should be simple enough. But with Hazard, Hudson-Odoi is stuck in the bottle neck with the other wingers.

There is basically no reality where Hazard extends and Hudson-Odoi decides to stay. He understands that he may be able to compete with Willian and Pedro and win out, but he also understands he cannot win out against Hazard.

Since there has been basically no guarantee that Hazard will extend and it seems Hudson-Odoi is considering Bayern, the Blues have one of two options. Option one is wait both out and see what happens. This is the scenario that likely sees both depart. Option two is to tell Hazard the contract is off and he will be allowed to depart. If Hudson-Odoi sees that level of backing from the club, he is sure to stay.

Both are risky moves but one is a safer risk than the other. Chelsea can risk losing both or they can risk Hudson-Odoi failing to make the grade. If option one works out, Hudson-Odoi is still behind Hazard and this whole scenario will take place again. If option two works out, Chelsea will have made their own Hazard replacement who is likely to stay for the long haul. Furthermore, option two will be a sign to all the upcoming academy players that it is possible to break through. That will starve off departures for playing time for years.

Chelsea needs to be bold in their decisions over Hudson-Odoi. If the believe in him as Bayern does, it is not enough to talk about it. They must show action. If that means cutting from Hazard, so be it.