According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea have turned down an offer of around £22.4 million for Callum Hudson-Odoi.
The bid, if true represents a shocking value from Bayern Munich for a player who at only 18 years of age managed to score six goals and assist a further seven in his debut season as part of Chelsea’s first team set-up.
Despite Hudson-Odoi’s injury, a move to Bayern Munich still remains a possibility, especially with the draw of playing for such a huge club. Chelsea need to ensure that Hudson-Odoi remains at Stamford Bridge as the 18-year-old could be the club’s next Eden Hazard.
The Englishman lit up the Europa League last season, scoring four goals and assisting a further two as Chelsea ran out champions after beating London rivals Arsenal in the final. Hudson-Odoi enjoyed a great campaign, and his stats suggest he could be close to replacing the Belgian in a few years time. The Chelsea youngster had the third highest dribbles per game for Chelsea in the Europa League. Hudson-Odoi’s ability to carry the ball past opponents meant he was labelled as a possible Hazard-replacement by fellow teammate David Luiz.
As well as Hudson-Odoi’s outstanding ability there remains doubts over the remaining wingers at the club. Willian and Pedro, despite their outstanding statistics in the Europa League, endured average campaigns in the Premier League. The two combined for a total of 20 goal contributions, which was 11 less than Hazard managed on his own.
The arrival of Christian Pulisic looks to be a good move for Chelsea, however, with the American’s shocking lack of goal contributions at former club Borussia Dortmund, expecting him to replace Hazard would be foolish. In 123 games for the German side, Pulisic only managed 19 goals and 26 assists. To put that into perspective Hudson-Odoi managed to contribute just under 30% of Pulisic’s total contribution at Dortmund in his only season in top-flight football.
Hudson-Odoi has an abundance of talent, and with Bayern Munich sniffing around, Chelsea need to be wary they don’t lose him in the future. The England international has the ability to replace Hazard in the coming seasons and should be tied down to a long-term contract at the club.
