Why Chelsea should send Callum Hudson-Odoi on loan to Aston Villa
Chelsea do not have a good record in promoting youth to the first-team and as a result, the likes of Tammy Abraham, Nathan Ake, Izzy Brown, Nathaniel Chalobah, Lewis Baker and many more have spent time on loan or have decided to ply their trade with other clubs.
As a matter of fact, the Blues have as many as 40 players out on loan at various European clubs. Just like the other academy talents, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have found life difficult at the Stamford Bridge. To be honest, Chelsea is a potential graveyard for youngsters and it doesn’t look like that the infamous record is going to change in the near future.
According to Birmingham Live, Aston Villa have been linked with a loan move for Chelsea’s 17-year-old prodigy Callum Hudson-Odoi in January. Villa have already taken Tammy Abraham on loan and if the move materialises, Hudson-Odoi will be the second player from the club to join the Lions on loan.
A product of Chelsea’s youth system, Hudson-Odoi made rapid progress through the youth ranks and has been on the fringes of the senior team since last season. He made his senior debut for the Blues against Newcastle United in the FA Cup in January and Antonio Conte handed him his Premier League debut soon after.
After impressing new manager Maurizio Sarri in the pre-season, he trained with the senior squad and played the first sixty minutes in Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester City in the FA Community Shield.
However, that is the only action that he has been given this season. Sarri hasn’t included him in the matchday squad for any of the Premier League games so far and the player has surprisingly been overlooked for the League Cup and the Europa League group stage fixtures as well.
In fact, Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have both cut sorry figures on the sidelines due to the lack of regular minutes.
Hudson-Odoi is still 17 and it is usual for the manager to use him as a fringe player. However, it doesn’t look like he is going to get any action, particularly with the performances that Eden Hazard, Willian and Pedro have put up so far in the Premier League.
The Europa League fixtures against PAOK and Videoton could have been the perfect platform for the manager to give the 17-year-old some valuable game time but he chose to go with the more experienced Victor Moses.
It would be hard to deny that Hudson-Odoi has shown a meteoric rise in the developmental phase of his career. He was one of the cornerstones of England’s successful campaign at the 2017 U17 World Cup held in India and has already made his way into the U19 set-up at the age of 17. Furthermore, he was promoted to Chelsea’s U23 side at the tender age of 16.
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The 17-year-old is a proper modern-day winger and is blessed with incredible pace and silky dribbling skills. However, he needs to work on other areas of his game if he is to continue his development.
He needs regular playtime to do so and the lack of opportunities at Stamford Bridge is only going to hamper his progress. That said, a loan move to Aston Villa should be an ideal option for all parties involved.