Bundesliga boss confirms Chelsea cannot recall loanee before his spell is up next summer

Bayer Leverkusen sporting director confirms that Chelsea cannot recall Callum Hudson-Odoi

Bayer Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes has confirmed that Chelsea cannot recall winger Callum Hudson-Odoi as the recall clause has passed. The 22-year-old is currently on a season-long loan at the German club.

The Cobham graduate came close to leaving the club this summer after he had fallen out of favour with former coach Thomas Tuchel and also struggled with injuries towards the end of last season. However, Todd Boehly managed to convince the winger to stay and he was shipped out on loan.

However, when Tuchel was sacked there was a feeling that the 22-year-old could come back. Graham Potter is believed to be an admirer of the youngster and even tracked him during his Brighton & Hove Albion days.

Now, Leverkusen sporting director Rolfes while speaking to Bild (h/t Football. London), confirmed that the Blues cannot recall the player next month as the clause had expired.

“We assumed that Callum would stay, but now we also have the certainty that he will stay with us. We’re happy about that, because he’s a very important player for us.”

Hudson-Odoi has been playing regularly for the Bundesliga side this season, having made 15 appearances for them in all competitions, scoring one goal in the process.

Potter needs to reinforce his attack ahead of the second half of the season. The forwards have struggled in front of goal, costing us some precious points as we sit eight on the table with just 21 points from 14 games played.

Chelsea have been linked heavily with a move for AC Milan and Portuguese forward Rafael Leao since the summer. The Blues have pursued him for a long time now and could look to pull off a miraculous mid-season move for the player.

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• Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic on immediate focus and future at the club

While Potter would have loved to have Hudson-Odoi in his team this season, it is good that the player is adding to his experience in January. If he enjoys a good loan spell, it is highly likely that he will be part of the first-team squad for the next season.