Chelsea are reportedly ‘considering’ recalling Callum Hudson-Odoi in January as Graham Potter is keen to work with the Englishman.
Hudson-Odoi is one of Chelsea’s most exciting prospects and he was only 17 when he made his debut for the London club.
The 21-year-old has already been able to play 126 times for the Blues across all competitions.
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The winger has largely been in and out of the team, though. Bayern Munich targeted him over multiple transfer windows in 2019 and a £35m offer was rejected by Chelsea.
Hudson-Odoi ended up staying at Chelsea and he was eventually converted into a wing-back during Thomas Tuchel’s time in charge.
But with opportunities under the German limited, he was given permission to join Bayer Leverkusen on loan in the summer.
The Englishman has been a key player for Leverkusen in recent weeks as he has featured in the Champions League and Bundesliga.
While Hudson-Odoi has been in Germany, Tuchel has been sacked and he has been replaced by Potter.
After Tuchel left, Hudson-Odoi was asked about Todd Boehly’s takeover. He has revealed that the American businessman is “trying to buy for the next few years:
“It’s definitely different,” Hudson-Odoi said.
“When a club is trying to get a player [on loan], they always want that option to buy at the end of the season. Todd was saying: ‘Listen, we want you back here’.
“You’re still on the radar of being wanted by the club. The way he’s trying to set it up, there are a lot of young players he’s trying to buy for the next few years.
“It shows he wants to integrate the players into the team and help them develop.”
On working under Tuchel, he added: “It was one of those difficult moments when you look at yourself and say, ‘What am I doing wrong? Have I done anything wrong to not even be in the squad?’
“I would never say anything bad about Thomas, he was a good guy, a good manager.
“[But] the first game of the season, it was frustrating. Any footballer that isn’t in the squad would understand how frustrating it is.”
Chelsea spent £250m on new signings in the summer, with teenagers Carney Chukwuemeka and Gabriel Slonina among their recruits.
So Boehly’s suggestion that he is building for the future adds up. Hudson-Odoi looks to be a key part of Chelsea’s plans, and he may be back at Chelsea as soon as January, according to Sport Bild.
The German outlet are reporting (as cited by ESPN’s Derek Rae) that the Blues are ‘considering recalling’ the academy product in the winter window.
The terms of his loan deal make this a ‘possibility’. Potter is said to be keen to work with Hudson-Odoi after the manager attempted to sign him while he was in charge at Brighton.
