Chelsea: Too late to say they’re sorry to Callum Hudson-Odoi
By Hugo Amaya
Callum Hudson-Odoi may be taking the final necessary step to force a move to Bayern Munich. Chelsea seemingly went out of their way to miss every opportunity to keep him.
In the new never-ending drama of Chelsea’s transfers, Callum Hudson-Odoi could very well be on the verge of moving to Bayern Munich. This is hardly blameworthy for the young winger. He has every right to be part of a team that will give him a chance to fulfill his potential, despite Maurizio Sarri’s poor attempts to persuade him otherwise.
This season’s transfer business has been nothing short of madness. Eden Hazard has still not signed a new contract while he waits for Real Madrid to show concrete interest. Chelsea rejected an offer for Willian from Barcelona. They signed 31-year old Gonzalo Higuain while sending Alvaro Morata on loan. And, last but not least (and given the club’s history on deadline, perhaps not even the last), Hudson-Odoi’s proposed move.
The youngster is only 18 years old, and surely should not be calling the shots at the club. But with his talents, he should be receiving more playing time than he has been given. At this stage, any minutes on the field are a poor attempt to say “sorry, please stay.”
No 18 year-old players should be making any demands over a club. Given the amount of quality Chelsea have at the moment, he should be waiting for his place. With players like Willian, Pedro and Eden Hazard as the wingers, Hudson-Odoi – under regular circumstances – should not have much of chance in the starting XI.
However, this season is not a regular season for Chelsea by any means. They have no Champions League football, just the Europa League in its place. They have no real chance of winning the Premier League. The FA Cup and EFL Cup are the only things they are really competing for. Surely he should be getting more play time than he is now.
During the group stage of the Europa League, Chelsea did not face any strong opposition. Even with the bench playing, the Blues should have won all of those games by a two-goal margin (which they didn’t). Those games were perfect opportunities for Hudson-Odoi to show he deserves a permanent spot next season. During both the EFL Cup and the FA Cup, the youngster should have played some games – maybe not as a starter, but definitely as a substitute.
Instead, Maurizio Sarri decided to play a strong squad, overused his most valuable players, risked injuries and fatigue and only managed to win by small margins just the same.
Now, Hudson-Odoi has a chance to play for Bayern Munich, a club that has a decent reputation of playing young players and giving them the chances they deserve. So the question is: can he really be blamed if he takes the opportunity?
Hudson-Odoi is a talented youngster who can become one of the best attacking players in the world. Such ambitions are understandable. After all, every player aspires to win as many accolades as possible, and even have a go for the Ballon D’Or. And, to be fair, there aren’t many 18-year olds at the moment that can potentially win it in 5-8 years, leaving Hudson-Odoi as a potential prime candidate. But if he is to fulfill that dream, the club needs to match his ambitions.
Maurizio Sarri has been trying to incorporate Hudson-Odoi to the squad as much as possible in recent games. But it might very well be too late to say sorry. A good example is when Hudson-Odoi came on against Arsenal in the dying minutes of the match. Chelsea had been losing 2-0 for some time, yet by the time he came on they had no real way back. Giving him just a few meaningless minutes in a game that is already lost is the poorest form of an apology or bribery, and surely the player feels that way.
Hudson-Odoi is weighing a false promise from a manager who did not play him in the best and most convenient moments of the season against the promise of a club with evidence that young players actually get decent opportunities. If you have half a brain, the option seems obvious.
Loyalty to Chelsea, as things stand, will not get him a bright future. Playing time and opportunities to showcase his talents will, especially in a team that wins trophies every season.
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Callum Hudson-Odoi could very well be on his way out, and rightly so. Meanwhile, Chelsea only have Sarri to blame in the matter for not trusting the player when he could, and now he is being forced to play him when he can’t. This means Chelsea will lose one of their many talented academy players and make another club stronger, both in the present and the future.