Chelsea: What does Callum Hudson-Odoi’s future hold?
After a disappointing season and following the plethora of attacking signings, what is in store for Chelsea’s talented young winger?
Callum Hudson-Odoi burst onto the scene last year under Maurizio Sarri. His scintillating style saw his play get put under a microscope as the youngster attracted attention from all over Europe. As Chelsea fought off Bayern Munich for the then 18-year-old’s services, the Blues handed the English winger a £120,000 per week contract.
During a season filled with injuries, legal trouble, Coronavirus and frustrating play, Hudson-Odoi found it difficult to break into the starting XI. He played for Chelsea in 32 games this season, making a majority of his appearances off the bench. In the last six games of the season he failed to earn a start; spending just 89 minutes on the pitch throughout that stretch. This begs the question, what does the future hold for Hudson-Odoi?
In all honesty, the approach Chelsea takes regarding Hudson-Odoi depends on the rest of the team’s transfer activity. If the Blues fail to bring in another winger—like Said Benrahma—Hudson-Odoi’s services will be required as a squad player. He’ll join Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech as Frank Lampard’s true wingers; assuming Willian departs the club. Depth will be prioritized over development in this case as Chelsea cannot carry on with just two wingers. This may not be such a bad thing for the 19-year-old, however, as less competition means more time on the pitch.
The addition of Timo Werner and likely Kai Havertz means there are more combinations of attacking formations for Lampard to play. But with one of the more particular skillsets on the team, Hudson-Odoi will be called upon quite often, even though he may not start. If it’s starting time the youngster is after, he may have to look elsewhere.
The Blues should also explore the option of loaning Hudson-Odoi in order to remain on par with his development. Simply put, the amount of minutes the English attacker got in 2019/20 was fairly unacceptable—the three goals and six assists he added aren’t much better. This is large in part due to issues beyond his control, but it still would’ve been nice to see Hudson-Odoi on the pitch a bit more during the season. This can be achieved by the youngster making a temporary move elsewhere.
With Chelsea trending in the direction it is, Lampard has little room for rehab minutes. Hudson-Odoi isn’t the first Chelsea first teamer to spend time at another club in order to get back to full form (Kurt Zouma, Ruben Loftus-Cheek) and he wouldn’t be the last. A Premier League loan move, even if its for six months, would help Hudson-Odoi find his footing again. Sending the 19-year-old somewhere like Everton would benefit all parties greatly, but this can only happen if Chelsea signs Havertz and another winger or two wide attacking individuals. Depth and the success of the first team are more important than anything else, in the end.
The one thing Chelsea cannot do yet is explore the option of selling Hudson-Odoi. Although there have been a lot of ups and downs this past season, the young winger is simply too talented to get rid of. He’s someone who can help the Blues out greatly in the near future, he just needs a bit of time. It’s easy to forget his age due to his large wages, but one has to give context to the situation, especially in Hudson-Odoi’s case.
Chelsea left holding the bag as five subs and expanded bench scrapped. dark. Next
What do you think Chelsea should do with Hudson-Odoi next season? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!