Reporter Lee Seong-min = Chelsea are struggling to let go of Callum Hudson-Odoi, who has been degraded to a resource other than power.
British media 'Sky Sports' said on the 22nd (Korean time), “Discussions between Fulham and Chelsea about the Hudson-Odoi contract have reached a stalemate. The two clubs could not reach an agreement on the transfer fee.”
Hudson-Odoi is a player who has been evaluated as an expectation to lead Chelsea in the future. A native of the Chelsea youth team, he contributed to Chelsea winning the FA Youth Cup in the 2017/18 season. Hudson-Odoi was recognized for his potential and signed a professional contract with the club in January 2019. As a member of the England national team, Bayern Munich was paying attention to him.
Hudson-Odoi, 강남룸싸롱 who received a small chance from the 2018/19 season, finished with 5 goals and 5 assists in 24 games across all competitions that season. It was unfortunate that the season ended prematurely with an Achilles tendon injury. Hudson-Odoi recorded 4 goals and 7 assists in 35 games in the 2019/20 season and 5 goals and 5 assists in 37 games in the 2020/21 season.
Contrary to expectations, Hudson-Odoi's growth has gradually slowed. In the 2021/22 season, he only scored 3 goals and 6 assists in 28 games due to a recurrence of the Achilles tendon injury. The starting positions also went to Kai Havertz and Raheem Sterling. Seeking a breakthrough, Hudson-Odoi moved on loan to Bayer Leverkusen last season, but returned to Chelsea after a sluggish performance with one goal and one assist in 21 games.
Back at Chelsea, there was no room for Hudson-Odoi. Christoph Nkunku, Mihailo Mudric and Sterling were already in Chelsea's second line. Manager Mauricio Pochettino dropped Hudson-Odoi from his plans. Naturally, he became a target for sale at Chelsea.
The club that Hudson-Odoi had a strong connection with was Fulham. According to Chelsea reporter Niger Kinsella of the British 'Evening Standard', Chelsea are asking for £8 million (approximately 13.6 billion won) for his transfer. Contrary to Chelsea's wishes, Fulham have no intention of meeting the demand. Fulham and Hudson-Odoi have reached a verbal agreement, but negotiations between the clubs are struggling.
Chelsea have sold all their surplus resources in the summer transfer window, including Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The only remaining sale target is Hudson-Odoi. If only Hudson-Odoi is let go, it can be evaluated as a success in organizing the squad, but as the transfer becomes difficult, check here concerns are deepening.
Meanwhile, according to Kinsella, in addition to Fulham, Everton and Nottingham Forest participated in the Hudson-Odoi scout. With two more clubs jumping in, the atmosphere in the Hudson-Odoi saga is likely to change. It remains to be seen which club will be the final winner.