Why Callum Hudson-Odoi must pursue Bayern Munich dream
Ever since he made his Chelsea bow in the Community Shield last August, Callum Hudson-Odoi has seen his stock rise after a number of impressive and eye-catching performances. The attacking midfielder has cemented himself into manager Maurizio Sarri’s first-team plans, and his progress has seen him gather the attention of German heavyweights Bayern Munich.
The Bundesliga giants have hardly made it a secret about their desire to sign Hudson-Odoi, with a number of bids already being rejected by Chelsea. The player himself has handed in a transfer request to force through the move, but the Blues are refusing to budge.
Bayern’s interest and Chelsea’s stance
Although Hudson-Odoi has only made five first team appearances at Stamford Bridge, the 18-year-old has demonstrated how much potential he really has with his mature and dazzling displays. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take Munich long to declare their interest in what has been a rather public sequence of events.
Niko Kovac’s side stated they were keen in signing Hudson-Odoi, prior to making contact with Chelsea which was never going to set any potential negotiations off to a smooth start. The west Londoners have rejected a number of bids from Munich so far, even with £35m being offered for Hudson-Odoi’s services.
What makes the saga most intriguing, is that Hudson-Odoi’s contract is up next summer and although Chelsea desperately want to secure his long-term future, the player himself will need assurances of more game time. Typically, young English hopefuls fail to make the grade at Stamford Bridge and with the player keen to leave, it would appear that Bayern will eventually get their man.
Best outcome for Hudson-Odoi
Over the last 12 months, the likes of Jadon Sancho and Reiss Neilson have made the switch from England to Germany and the pair are absolutely thriving, in particular Sancho. The former Manchester City hopeful has helped Borussia Dortmund to the top of the Bundesliga and has made his full England debut, impressing in the 3-0 friendly win over the United States in November.
From Hudson-Odoi’s perspective, he has a brilliant example to follow and it’s almost becoming a trend for young English hopefuls to ply their trade in the fatherland, and you can’t blame Hudson-Odoi for wanting in. Admittedly, not many would have predicted how well Sancho and Neilson would do but it just goes to show that if a player is given regular game time and is installed with confidence, the sky’s the limit.
It’s unlikely that Hudson-Odoi’s future will be ironed out any time soon, but Chelsea will need to demonstrate and prove that west London is the best place for his progress. Clearly, this isn’t the case with Hudson-Odoi declaring an interest in leaving as soon as possible but it does beg the question, where would he be best placed?
If Chelsea had a history of giving young English hopefuls a chance, it would be a no brainer but the fact the vast majority are cast off will make his passage to Germany seem all the more tempting. In fact, Hudson-Odoi must do everything in his power to realise his full potential, and that will only happen in a Bayern jersey.
It’s expected that Hudson-Odoi will get more game time in the FA Cup and Europa League, whereby he has scored a goal in each competition so far. The Blues are 9/2 favourites with Betfair to win the Europa League and if they can lift the trophy for the second time, you can almost guarantee Hudson-Odoi will be pivotal to their success.