Chelsea and England forward Callum Hudson-Odoi made his first Premier League start of the season yesterday, helping the Blues rout Southampton 4-1. Hudson-Odoi suffered a serious Achilles injury in April that had kept him out of commission until the tail end of last month.
“It’s been a very long time that I’ve been out,” the 18-year-old said. “It’s been a crazy journey to come back.” CHO bided his time last year, waiting for his opportunities, and eventually, late in the season, they came. While the attacking positions are deep and talented at Chelsea, he’s earned himself a first team place.
It was just last season however that his future at Stamford Bridge was uncertain.
He handed in a formal transfer request during the January transfer window when Chelsea turned down a £35 million bid from Bayern Munich.
As the transfer rumors flew, it looked like the talented teenager could be on the move to Germany. In addition to Bayern, there were rumors that he could move to their arch-rival Borussia Dortmund.
It didn’t happen, and Hudson-Odoi is quite glad about that development.
“The club have done so much for me and I’m so thankful for that,” he said in an interview with BBC.
“The decision that I made was a very good one for me and my family. We all thought that it was the right club to be at.”
“I’ve been here all my life, so there’s no need to change yet. My mum and dad are happy where they are and I’m happy where I am.”
Chelsea, despite being held back by a transfer ban this summer, is the thick of the Premier League top four race.
Hudson-Odoi, who signed a five-year contract worth more than £120,000 a couple weeks ago, is currently on international break with England, who face Czech Republic and Bulgaria over the next couple weeks.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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