It’s developing into one of the most talked about transfer sagas so far in the January transfer window, however it’s still uncertain where Callum Hudson-Odoi will be playing football beyond the end of the month.
Bayern Munich have had three bids turned down by Chelsea for the 19-year-old – the latest offer believed to be around £30m – with the Blues valuing the youngster at around £40m. Reports are suggesting Chelsea are in fact keen on keeping hold of the winger and are in the process of trying to tempt him to stay with a lucrative five-year contract.
The saga is far from over and it’ll be compelling to see how the story develops in the coming weeks. However in the meantime, here are six reasons why Hudson-Odoi should push through a move to Bayern Munich:
1. Jadon Sancho’s Success With Borussia Dortmund
Perhaps the biggest reason why Bayern are so interested in signing Hudson-Odoi, Jadon Sancho has paved the way for young Englishman to step out of their comfort zone and go in search of first team opportunities even if it means moving abroad and away from the Premier League.
Sancho has become a star at Dortmund since his move from Manchester City, scoring six goals and bagging seven assists in 17 Bundesliga appearances so far this campaign at the age of just 18.
Now a number of Bundesliga clubs are going in search for ‘the next Sancho’, and Bayern seem to believe they’ve found exactly that in the form of Hudson-Odoi. He may think he can replicate what Sancho is doing at Dortmund, and he may well be given an opportunity to do so in January.
2. Chelsea’s Lack of Youth Productivity in First Team
Chelsea has been a breeding ground for top quality young players in recent seasons. Their academy team has won seven of the last nine FA Youth Cups as well as two UEFA Youth League titles, with players such as Patrick van Aanholt, Tammy Abraham and Nathan Ake all coming up through the youth ranks at Chelsea. But what else do these three have in common?
That’s right, all three players struggled to break into the senior team having been given limited opportunities to do so, and as a result pushed through a permanent move away from the club. If Hudson-Odoi decides to stay, he could become one of many academy graduates who end up being loaned out every season without being given a sustained run in the first team.
A move to Bayern would not only prevent his development from stagnating whilst sat on the bench, but it would also boost his development with opportunities for first team football coming on a more regular occasion. In addition, it wouldn’t just be first team football, it would be both Bundesliga and Champions League football for one of the top teams in the world.
3. Big-Money Signing of Christian Pulisic
Just two days into the January transfer window, Chelsea decided to splash £57.6m on signing American winger Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund. Whilst Blues fans will be delighted with the club having picked up one of the top young talents in European football, what does this mean for Hudson-Odoi?
The Englishman was tipped to be the next best thing at Chelsea with the youngster being accelerated through the youth teams and into the first team set up, only for Chelsea to then go and sign another young promising winger for that kind of money.
It doesn’t bode well for the 19-year-old who would’ve been keen to show fans why he was the future of Chelsea’s attacking lineup, but with the arrival of Pulisic it doesn’t look to be as simple as that.
4. Too Many Stars in Wide Areas at Chelsea
With yet another winger arriving at Stamford Bridge in the form of Pulisic, that means competition for places out wide just got even tougher with the likes of Willian, Pedro and Eden Hazard also set to battle it out for a place in Maurizio Sarri’s starting 11.
This will likely limit the Englishman’s minutes even further than they already are with it being very unlikely that Hudson-Odoi would be able to push all four of those men out of the first team fold, and as a result he may well need to move away in order to get any form of game time.
Bayern look to have offered him a lifeline, will he take it?
5. The Chance to Learn From Two Legends of the Game
Bayern’s current wingers Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery have become legends of the game after two trophy-laden careers. Robben has won 11 league titles with four different teams along with a Champions League title with Bayern, and is now in his tenth season with the Bavarians.
As for Ribery, he has won eight league titles – all with Bayern – as well as a Champions League title during his 11 full seasons with the Bundesliga side. It’s fair to say both players know a thing or two about winning, and what better duo for a young winger to learn from? This is the perfect time for Hudson-Odoi to join Bayern.
He is already maturing into a fine player, however the help and advice from Robben and Ribery would only help take his game to the next level.
6. Robben & Ribery’s Impending Retirement Set to Offer First Team Opportunities
Many may argue that playing opportunities for Hudson-Odoi at Bayern will be no more than what he would get if he stayed at Chelsea, however that isn’t the case. It’s no secret that both Robben and Ribery are starting to slow down at the back end of their careers and most likely will retire within the next few seasons.
With this being the case, Bayern are in desperate need of players to replace and fill the boots of the duo once they move on, players they currently don’t have in their ranks.
This is the window of opportunity needed for a youngster to come into the team and make the position his own, an opportunity Hudson-Odoi looks to have been offered.
