Nottingham Forest signed Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Speaking in an interview (h/t Evening Standard), Chelsea star Callum Hudson-Odoi shared his delight at staying at the club and getting an opportunity to play in the final of the FIFA Club World Cup.
The 21-year-old star was close to joining Borussia Dortmund on loan in January in a bid to get increased game time. Thomas Tuchel is thought to have blocked the move and keeping the latest developments in mind, Hudson-Odoi feels that it may have provided him with a great opportunity.
The Stamford Bridge outfit has had a host of injury issues in their squad this season. Both of their first choice wing-backs in Reece James and Ben Chilwell have been injured and that has been a cause for trouble recently.
Callum Hudson-Odoi, who has primarily played as a winger to date, was deployed as a wing-back in the Club World Cup final against Palmeiras. He has been used by the German manager in such a position previously, having played as a wing-back in the UEFA Super Cup final last year.
This versatility has been a key factor to consider for the 48-year-old manager considering the kind of strain that the squad has had to face due to unforeseen circumstances.
The 21-year-old Englishman spoke about the feeling of lifting the coveted Club World Cup trophy, claiming that he wouldn’t have been afforded the opportunity had he left the club earlier.
“Big trophies like this are games you want to be involved in with a club like this. Big games, big trophies, you want to win as much as possible with a club like this. Our aim is always to win games and win as many as possible. When we get the opportunity we keep pushing. If I went out in the summer I wouldn’t get opportunities to play like this and enjoy the games and win trophies. So I’m really delighted that I stayed and obviously I got the opportunity to play.”
The youngster still hasn’t managed to nail down a starting position in the team but has started to feature a bit more since January. It is good to see that the manager has shown his faith in a young budding talent rather than just relegating him to the bench.
There is a lot of competition in the attacking department at Stamford Bridge. The club has spent a sizable amount on players such as Timo Werner, Romelu Lukaku, Kai Havertz, and Christian Pulisic in the last few transfer windows. It can be quite a task to find and sustain a starting position when there are so many experienced and talented players playing in your position.
In such an instance, a loan move could seem like the next great option for any budding footballer who wants to keep growing and learning. Dortmund has a history of developing youngsters into potential world beaters and the lure of getting more game time at the Signal Iduna Park could have been a really tempting proposition for a 21-year-old youngster such as Hudson-Odoi.
While it may have been the rational thing to do under such circumstances, the youngster was made to stay back at Stamford Bridge and got a taste of one of those glorious nights that every budding footballer dreams of. The Blues boast of an envious collection of silverware but they have now finally gotten their hands on the FIFA Club World Cup and can rightly be called ‘Champions of the World’.
The English youngster would sleep happily knowing that he played a role in that win. It remains to be seen what lies ahead of him at Chelsea, but if he was to leave the club in the near future, the Blues fans should have no complains regarding the attitude he has shown while at Stamford Bridge throughout his short career.
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