Chelsea homegrown
Callum Hudson-Odoi is only 21 years old and has been the focus of FC Bayern and BVB for the past three years, making his debut for England at 18 and finally ending up at Bayer Leverkusen. Chelsea didn’t want to give up their home-grown talent until this summer because they think highly of the highly talented winger at Stamford Bridge – but that didn’t give him much playing time.
At the beginning of the season we went to the stands – five games under ex-Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel with zero minutes. “It was one of those difficult moments when you’re like, ‘What did I do wrong to not even be on the squad?'”Daily Mail“ the native of London talks about his one-year loan to Leverkusen.
Hudson-Odoi on Chelsea: ‘You’re still on their radar’
“Kai only had good things to say. He said: ‘I’ve developed very well here, they’ve developed me and made me the player I am today.’ He pushed me to change. ‘Go and evolve, go and be you, be free. We know what you can do. Just go and show it regularly.’” He played 35 times with ex-Leverkusener Kai Havertz before Hudson-Odoi went on loan to Bayer on August 30 – a week later the Blues parted ways with Tuchel.
Draxler, Zakaria & Co.: Most valuable loan transfers in summer 2022
Ahead of the loan deal, the winger has spoken to Todd Boehly, the club’s new owner. “When a club wants to sign a player on loan, they always want the option to buy it at the end of the season. Todd said, ‘Listen, we want you back here.’” Hudson-Odoi, whose career stalled in London, is signed with the Blues until 2024 and knows: “You’re still on their radar and the club want you. He’s trying to buy a lot of young players for the next few years. It shows that he wants to integrate the players into the team to help them develop.”
Perhaps when looking at the Blues’ recent transfer history, Boehly saw a pattern he doesn’t like: players are being given away prematurely. The two biggest mistakes were made with Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah, for whom Wolfsburg and Rome paid €42m Position expensive to retrofit.
Hudson-Odoi on Bayer Leverkusen: “I enjoy it and smile”
While things aren’t going well for Bayer 04 overall, Hudson-Odoi is happy about his new status – in the 2-0 win over Atlético Madrid he was in the starting XI like in the previous games: “These are the games you want to play in. Nights like this are a fantastic feeling.” He last started for Chelsea in the Premier League at the end of January. With a market value of 25 million euros, he is one of the world’s most valuable loan players.
“Now I’m playing, the momentum is building and I feel fresh: new country, brand new experience. It’s very refreshing to know that I get the chance to play week in and week out – I’m enjoying it and smiling,” said Hudson-Odoi. FC Bayern is waiting for the next task after the international break.
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