As the season comes to a close, the attention of most fans, managers and players turns slowly to the summer transfer window. For Chelsea, this will no doubt be dominated by talk of Eden Hazard’s future. And rightly so. The tricky Belgian has been directly involved in almost half of the Blues’ goals this season.
The prospect of losing Hazard is enough to give any Chelsea fan sleepless nights. But let’s not forget some of the other squad members that could play an important role in years to come. None more so than his potential replacement, Callum Hudson-Odoi…
Struggling to make a break
Callum Hudson-Odoi is without a doubt one of the most promising young players in the Premier League. He has already won back-to-back FA Youth Cups with Chelsea and the under-18 Premier League, not to mention the under-17 World Cup with England.
Aged just 18, he earned his first call-up to the full England squad, becoming the youngest player to make their debut in a competitive match when he was subbed on against the Czech Republic.
But this success hasn’t been enough to earn a regular spot in the Chelsea line-up. With Hazard, Pedro and Willian as competition, Hudson-Odoi’s role in the league has been as a fringe player at best. When he does make it onto the pitch, he looks as you would expect from a young player with such an impressive career to date – confident, threatening and not at all out of his depth.
Away from the league, his performances speak for themselves. The winger has contributed 4 goals in the Europa league and notched his first FA Cup goal against Sheffield Wednesday. Naturally, this has gained attention from other clubs, who could tempt Hudson-Odoi away with the promise of more regular game time.
Rumour mill
That said, it doesn’t seem Callum Hudson-Odoi would have to take a step down if he moves away from Stamford Bridge. It’s already rumoured that both Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are interested in the young winger. Both teams are favourites to win their respective leagues year-upon-year according to the odds, meaning Hudson-Odoi could even increase his chance of silverware with a move.
The potential transfer comes just two years after Jadon Sancho’s move to Dortmund, which saw him immediately included in the first-team squad. Sancho has now made over 40 appearances for Dortmund. If Munich or PSG can offer Hudson-Odoi the same kind of game time, it’s hard to see why he would turn them down.
The only issue, however, is the price…
How much is he worth?
Bayern Munich reportedly had a £35 million bid for the winger turned down in January. While Chelsea suggest that it’s because of their determination to keep hold of him, we know that every player has their price tag. The question is – how much is the price tag attached to Callum Hudson-Odoi?
Using Jadon Sancho as an example, it could be argued that Hudson-Odoi is worth as much as £100 million in the current market. That’s how much Dortmund want for their pacey English winger, according to reports, with Manchester United apparently happy to pay it.
Can Chelsea ask for the same amount for their equally promising English winger? The price tag is mostly down to two factors – his age (and potential) and what he has already achieved. Hudson-Odoi is six months younger than Sancho, and it’s hard to argue against his impressive list of achievements to date.
The only thing separating the two is regular game time in the league – a chance to prove they can consistently live up to the expectations. Sancho has had it, Hudson-Odoi hasn’t. If he does leave in the summer for a much smaller fee than Sancho, Sarri might be left regretting all those games where he chose 31-year-old Pedro…
