If Callum Hudson-Odoi will not sign, Chelsea must sell this window

Callum Hudson-Odoi has had various contracts on the table for months. If he will not extend at Chelsea, he must be sold this transfer window.

Today is 1 August. The transfer window for the Premier League closes in a week. It closes on 23 August in Italy and on 2 September in every other big European League. Callum Hudson-Odoi has had a contract, in several variations if rumors are to be believed, on the table all summer. With less than a year left and the contract still unsigned, Chelsea is past the point of negotiation. If Hudson-Odoi is not willing to extend his Chelsea contract before this window shuts, he must be sold this transfer window.

No more hem hawing over wages, or a number that means nothing at the end of the day. No more waiting for promises already made to be shown even truer than they have already. It has become binary: extend or be sold while there is still a value on the contract in the market.

This is not a joyful article to write. Nothing would be better than Hudson-Odoi extending his contract before this article even goes live. But the fish hook of “any day now! It is close!” has been dangling all summer and enough is enough. For all the talent Hudson-Odoi has, Chelsea cannot afford to lose out. If Hudson-Odoi wants to be treated like a star player with massive wages, his pick of an arbitrary shirt number, and promises of playing time, then he must also be treated like a star player with a year left on his contract who is seemingly dodging an extension.

This saga started last preseason when Hudson-Odoi was by and far the best player on the field each time. But then it took him until November before Maurizio Sarri even considered using him. In January he submitted a transfer request because he saw no pathway at Chelsea. The Blues board fought that off but little changed with Hudson-Odoi’s status until the March international break. Hudson-Odoi got his first England start before his first Premier League start. Sarri quickly relented to the talent the player had, but injury quickly took away the remainder of the season.

Since then, Chelsea has hired Frank Lampard. Lampard appointed two former youth team managers, Joe Edwards and Jody Morris, to his direct staff. And with a transfer ban, youth were guaranteed minutes. Not only has Lampard shown that the promise of playing is real for the kids now, but the board has shown they trust them by offering several long term contracts.

Hudson-Odoi is still injured but he surely would be central to Lampard’s plans (he said that in fact). Hudson-Odoi also has a contract on the table, as he has for months. It started as a simple pay increase, but has since delayed and devolved into a massive wage hike that would put Hudson-Odoi towards the top of the wage bill. Demands for the 10 shirt vacated by Eden Hazard also seem to be central to negotiations.

It is worth mentioning that, at almost every pivot on the negotiation of the new contract, Bayern Munich has been there. They want the young Englishman despite his injury (and the natural uncertainty it creates on his future) and they have been offering, reportedly, up to 40 million euros.

Which comes back to the current situation Chelsea finds itself in. The transfer window closes in less than a month. Hudson-Odoi’s contract ends in a year, half of which he may still be on the sideline or looking for fitness. He can afford to wait six months before becoming a free agent if January rolls around and he has not extended.

The contract Chelsea has offered is more than reasonable. Hudson-Odoi would become one of the highest paid players on the team. He would surely be given the number 10 shirt since that seems to matter to him. And he would have a manager that has not just talked the talk about playing young players, but has walked it.

So if Chelsea wants to make any sort of transfer fee off of Hudson-Odoi, now is the only time they have available. The contract is burning a hole through the table and there is really no more reason why it has not been signed. Chelsea cannot afford to lose Hudson-Odoi for free so if that contract is not signed soon, which will not be soon enough, then he can quite happily be shown the way to Germany provided Bayern pay a fair price (which they seem more than willing to do).

Lampard does not want passengers. He wants Chelsea players that want to be Chelsea players. Unless Hudson-Odoi extends, he is showing he does not want to remain in blue. The terms are fair and they have been present for long enough. No player is bigger than the club and Hudson-Odoi needs to show which club it is he wants to be at. He either signs the contract now or he should be sent to a club where he wants to actually be at, provided Chelsea gets their fair transfer fee out of the ordeal.