Chelsea fans are reflexively blaming Maurizio Sarri and the board for Callum Hudson-Odoi’s expected departure. The player himself carries much more responsibility for his future.
Make no mistake, Callum Hudson-Odoi is a generational talent who has a very high chance of reaching the very top of the footballing world one day. The rumoured £35 million bid from Bayern Munich is solid proof of his immense potential as a player. However, contract renewal negotiations with Chelsea have dragged on longer than they should. At this stage, fans are right in questioning his genuine desire to stay and fight for his long term future at the club.
The common narrative behind the failure of contract renewal talks lay the blame at Chelsea’s door. Chelsea’s long history of mishandling their youth players cannot be denied. This would undoubtedly prove to be a huge concern for Hudson-Odoi.
Put simply, there have just been too many Lewis Baker’s and Charly Musonda’s for Hudson-Odoi to feel any sort of long term security with Chelsea. Bayern’s open pursuit only worsens the situation. Jadon Sancho’s success in the Bundesliga only tilts the conversation further. As a result, Chelsea fans are turning on the club and even the manager for their perceived lack of faith in the youth and their perceived role in his temptation to prematurely exit the club.
For once, however, neither the board nor the manager can be blamed for Hudson-Odoi’s desire to leave. This is because the club has already been doing everything they can publicly and privately to ensure the 18-year old’s continued stay.
Publicly, Maurizio Sarri has spoken about how much he rates the youngster and his decision to start him against Tottenham Hotspur in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup. That demonstrates the Italian’s genuine desire to provide a first team future for the young player.
For a manager who arrived only seven months ago under heavy pressure to end his trophy draught, this is a remarkable show of faith. Fans would do well to recognise this.
Privately, the club has been pushing Hudson-Odoi to put pen to paper on a new long term deal. Yet in spite of all these promises the club has been willing to make for Hudson-Odoi, the player allegedly remains keen on a move to Bayern. This necessarily gives rise to questions about Hudson-Odoi’s willingness to stay at Chelsea and earn his rightful place in the first team.
Gianfranco Zola’s pre-match conference before playing Nottingham Forest is a clear indication of the club’s frustration. Zola urged Hudson-Odoi to focus on the training ground rather than the amount of minutes he was getting on the pitch. Zola further emphasized that spending time on the training ground cannot be seen as “a waste of time,” especially for someone his age: another indication of the club’s increasing unhappiness at the player assuming he does not have an immediate first team future with the club.
At this point, fans who remain keen on pinning the blame on the club over Hudson-Odoi’s desire to leave have to keep in mind two things. For one, Hudson-Odoi is only 18 years old and yet has already been given four starts and four substitute appearances this campaign. The club are clearly willing to forgo their usual way of doing things with youth to fast track him into the first team. If this is not enough to convince him to stay, then what would?
More bluntly, how many 18-year olds in England have been handed eight competitive appearances so far this season?
The truth remains that Hudson-Odoi is already playing a bigger role than most players of his age. Fans must be careful in not letting public opinion alter this simple fact.
Of course, many fans are going to point out the success of Jaden Sancho in Germany as prove that if “you are good enough, you are old enough.”
However, herein lies the second thing fans must be aware of before criticising the board: Sancho’s success remains an exception rather than the norm. While Sancho’s astronomical rise to the top was undoubtedly a result of his innate talents as a player, the opportunities he received were predicated upon a series of favourable circumstances and having a progressive-minded coach in charge. These conditions cannot simply be found nor replicated at any other club (looking at you, Bayern). And as Sancho himself has pointed out recently, his move to Germany came with many sacrifices that not every youth player is mentally equipped or willing to make.
When the time comes for Callum Hudson-Odoi to leave, fans have to be aware this was not a consequence of the club’s mishandling of the youth but rather the player’s own desire for greener pastures overseas.
At the end of the day, no player is bigger than the club. Much like Thibaut Courtois before him, a player who doesn’t have the desire to stay and fight has no place in SW6.