Tuchel delighted Hudson-Odoi has gone from want-away talent to first team star

Stefan Bienkowski

• 1 Nov 2021 15:57 GMT
• 5 min read

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel believes Callum Hudson-Odoi is finally being rewarded for staying at the club this season by forcing his way into the club’s starting XI.

The young winger has been heavily linked with moves to Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich over the last 12 months and was expected to leave Chelsea in the summer.

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Hudson-Odoi struggled for game time under Tuchel last season and was therefore reportedly considering his options ahead of the new season.

However, the young player decided to stay at the club and after a sporadic number of appearances at wing-back, Hudson-Odoi has since been given a stretch of games in more attacking roles and looked all the better for it.

Now, with the benefit of hindsight, Tuchel believes the young player made the right decision to stay at Chelsea and now looks like a better player for it.

’We didn’t want Hudson-Odoi to leave Chelsea

“It wasn't like we wanted to have him out and now he stayed,” said Tuchel when asked about Hudson-Odoi almost leaving the club in the summer. “We didn't let him leave. We built the squad and Callum was a piece of the puzzle.

“He thought it might be tough to get minutes and it might be easier at another club. But you can never be sure.

“I told him straight when he asked that it was not possible. We rely on him and we feel he can still make huge progress within this group and club.

“Was it always fair to play him as a right wing-back? No, maybe not. But he had to take it for the team and was always positive.

“He had a good pre-season when we saw what he could do on the left half side. He struggled to prove that during matches but now it was important he showed up and delivered with injuries and this is what he did.

“To get a place in this team, it's all about performance and this is what Callum shows at the moment. It's important he shows consistency, stays hungry, and keeps on going.”