In our latest episode of The Chelsea Spot Podcast, Paree (Owner – @CFCParee) was joined by Orlando (Admin – @0rland1nho) & Rob (Admin – @CFCRobL) to discuss the “one-off” 3-0 loss to Leeds, the terrible signings we are about to make and the need for a DOF, Chalobah leaving alongside Hudson-Odoi, Gilmour’s situation and much more!
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In another episode of The Chelsea Spot Podcast, Dan (Host – @DanBarkerCoach) is joined by Paree (Owner- @CFCParee) & Danny (Writer – @danny_new_) to discuss Chelsea’s 7-0 incredible victory against Norwich with a Mason Mount man of the match performance, Hudson-Odoi and Reece James goal, Chilwell screamer, Loftus-Cheek assist and so much more on a great day for Cobham!
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In another episode of The Chelsea Spot Podcast, Paree (Host – @CFCParee) is joined by Tom (Writer – @tmdftbl) & special guest Matt Selley (Guest – @matty_selley) to discuss all things Chelsea! Talking about how he became a Chelsea fan, his idols growing up, his current favoured lineup, Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s remarkable return, watching the women’s team and so much more!
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Dujon Sterling has agreed a new contract with Chelsea and is set to join Championship side Blackpool on loan for the remainder of the season.
Sterling will sign a new two-year contract at Chelsea that includes the option for another year.
Sterling was intent on staying at Chelsea but due to an influx of defenders at the club, the decision to get regular game time in the Championship became a good option. (Adam Newson)
Blackpool sit 22nd in the Championship and Sterling’s ability to play a number of positions on the right hand side will be good for them.
Callum Hudson-Odoi
Borussia Dortmund want to sign Callum Hudson-Odoi on loan and have not been put off by Thomas Tuchel’s insistence that Chelsea intend to keep the winger this summer.
Callum is open to joining Dortmund on loan before the transfer window shuts on Tuesday. The 20-year-old wants more opportunities to showcase his talent and is waiting to see whether the Bundesliga club firm up their interest.
Hudson-Odoi’s long-term preference would be to prove himself at Chelsea after rising through the club’s academy.
There is a growing acceptance, however, that he needs to play regularly and he could benefit from spending the campaign at Dortmund, whose new manager, Marco Rose, has a reputation for attacking football. (The Guardian)
Ruben Loftus-Cheek
There is a possibly that Napoli could make a late attempt to sign Loftus-Cheek. (Corriere dello sport)
Tiemoue Bakayoko
The announcement of Bakayoko to AC Milan is expcted to be announced in the next few days.
He has completed a medical today and will join Milan on a two-year loan.
Preseason gives eager fans around the world chance to see talent – both young and old – given the rare opportunity to impress before the campaign gets underway. With the European Championships and Copa America delaying the return of the bulk of Chelsea’s regular playing squad (17 players were present at these competitions: the most of any European club!), fans would be forgiven for struggling to recognise a few faces!
The line-up featured the unusual midfield pivot of Danny Drinkwater and Connor Gallagher, ahead of a back three of Dujon Sterling, Lewis Baker (now 26 years old!) and Malang Sarr (back from a season-long loan at Porto). The more familiar faces of Callum Hudson-Odoi, Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Marcos Alonso and – to the excitement of this writer – Tammy Abraham also appeared from the start. This mix of established international stars, youngsters trying to force their way into Thomas Tuchel’s thinking and Danny Drinkwater got off to an excellent start, dominating their Championship opponents in the first half.
As early on as the seventh minute Hudson-Odoi was able to confirm that he was – as speculated in training – back to his very best, playing a beautiful ball over the top for Pulisic, who would have been in on goal were it not for a poor touch. As the game wore on we were given a glimpse of the ball of energy that is Connor Gallagher, as he made a lovely sliding interception as well as an important, bustling challenge on the edge of his own box. Marcos Alonso was also twice involved in the game’s early incidents: first making a crucial sliding block to deny former Blue Dominic Solanke when through on goal, then blasting a free kick into the wall from his favoured position.
Plenty of fringe players were hoping to impress the new German manager of the year. Photo credit: football.london
The first half featured a wide-ranging display of the often forgotten about Danny Drinkwater’s passing ability, as the £40 million flop sprayed 40 yard cross field balls at will, one of which found Hudson-Odoi who collected brilliantly and beat his man before finding Abraham with a beautiful cut-back. Abraham’s finish, however, was straight at the keeper. Hudson-Odoi was a continual thorn in Bournemouth’s side as he later linked up well with Ziyech as the Moroccan picked out an excellent Abraham run in behind, with the England international’s tame shot saved. Shortly after this Ziyech found Abraham’s head with a lovely, clipped ball from the right but the effort was just wide. This capped an excellent first half for the Blues, with the intensity of pressing and the sharp linkup between attackers a real positive, as well as the industry and distribution of Sarr and Baker standing out.
The second half naturally brought with it a raft of changes as Tuchel gave everyone a chance to impress. Early on in the half Gallagher was sloppy in possession and was punished by David Brooks, who tackled him and fired his shot wide as the intimidating presence of substitute Eduoard Mendy bore down on him. Ross Barkley and Ruben Loftus-Cheek – two international midfielders desperate to regain their places in this Chelsea side – shone after coming on, full of sharp turns (from the former) and surging runs forwards (from the latter) as the Blues commanded the middle of the park.
Chelsea’s dominance could not stop them falling behind in the 66th minute however, as Zappacosta was caught sleeping by a sharp cutback which was converted by the head of Marcondes. There had been warning signs: two corners that were not dealt with as well as a phenomenal Mendy save, and now Chelsea had work to do. However, just six minutes later Baba-Rahman galloped down the left flank, and despite losing possession after a heavy touch he was able to win the ball back and exchange passes with Loftus-Cheek before whipping in a delightful cross which Broja had time to chest down and finish into the roof of the net. This was an exciting sight for Chelsea fans keen to see their youngsters progress and following his debut senior season – where he netted a fantastic 10 goals from 21 starts in the Eredivisie for Vitesse Arnhem – there is optimism amongst some that the Albanian could be an option up front next season.
Broja lit up the second half with his energetic pressing and was rewarded with a well-taken goal. Photo credit: We Ain’t Got No History
Four minutes after Broja levelled it was the turn of another exciting, young Chelsea number 9 to score what proved to be the winner. Ike Ugbo met Barkley’s excellent in-swinging corner at the front post to seal a brilliant preseason win for the Blues. Ugbo has attracted a wide range of suitors after his amazing stint at Cercle Bruges last season, where he netted 16 times in 32 starts in Belgium’s top-flight. During a tricky time for the academy, it was fitting that two young stars who have risen through the ranks at Cobham were the scorers today and hopefully they are both given a chance by their parent club to shine on a bigger stage.
There was a lot to take away from this game. Positives included Abraham’s intelligent movement despite a lack of gametime since the turn of the year, Loftus-Cheek’s sharpness following a difficult spell at Fulham and the link-up between Ziyech and Hudson-Odoi down Chelsea’s right. The team pressed excellently – as demonstrated in the 75th minute as Broja showed his incredible speed to shut down the Bournemouth keeper and nearly deflect his long ball into the back of his own net – and were well organised (except from set pieces!) throughout.
It is difficult to draw anything from preseason games – especially ones where half of the squad are absent – but the players on the fringes of the first team performed brilliantly and players with a point to prove really stepped up. Next up: Arsenal….
In another episode of The Chelsea Spot Podcast, Orlando (Host – @0rland1nho), Paree (Owner – @CFCParee) and Dan (Admin – @danbarkzr) discuss the game against Fulham and look ahead to Real Madrid midweek. Talking about Hudson-Odoi’s embarrasing treatment, Billy Gilmour’s performance, Thomas Tuchel’s in game management, the front three against Real Madrid and so much more!
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A game which should help for confidence ahead of Fulham…
In another episode of The Chelsea Spot Podcast, Orlando (Host – @0rland1nho), Dan (Admin – @danbarkzr) and Danny (Writer – @danny_new_) discuss Chelsea’s comfortable FA cup victory over Morecambe. Talking about there being no academy kids involved, Hudson-Odoi and Gilmour impressing, the confidence for Werner and Havertz and will Tomori ever play in a Chelsea shirt again?
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Everyone needs to calm down a little bit… Lampard IN!
In another episode of The Chelsea Spot Podcast, Orlando (Host – @0rland1nho) and Dan (Admin – @danbarkzr) discuss Chelsea’s draw to Aston Villa, including Tammy Abraham vs Olivier Giroud, a potential loan for Billy Gilmour, an exceptional performance from Callum Hudson-Odoi, Lampard IN, player ratings and so much more!
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It’s almost time for some of the most exciting and frustrating hours in world football – transfer deadline day. Chelsea are normally heavily involved, with the likes of David Luiz, Ashley Cole and Fernando Torres all previously joining us on the last day of a two month long window.
This time though, it seems as if Chelsea have done their business early. Hakim Ziyech was brought in as early as February, with Timo Werner joining us only a few months later, who was then followed by Ben Chilwell, Kai Havertz, Thiago Silva, Edouard Mendy and Malang Saar. 7 signings – you’d think that’s Chelsea’s transfer window done.
What a window so far… and there’s still more to come!
Wrong. Well, at least that’s what it seems like. There is a lot of business to be done with outgoings and trimming our squad down, and there also seems to be a chance that we could still bring in a defensive midfielder. All I’ll recommend is having Sky Sports News on for the next day, because it’s going to get thrilling. In this article, I’ll talk about the likelihood and my opinion of possible incomings and departures…. let’s get started!
Callum Hudson-Odoi
Hudson-Odoi is a player who gets linked away every single window. This time though, it’s quite serious. Rumours started to rise after being the only fit natural winger against Brighton and Liverpool, yet finding himself on the bench. Frank Lampard is adamant on wanting to keep Callum at the club, and he also wants to stay. However, it’s the board which wouldn’t mind him leaving, as although they rejected a loan bid with an option to buy for £70m from Bayern Munich, it has been heavily reported that Chelsea could accept an important bid if there was an obligation to buy, which probably should worry Chelsea fans and it brings up many questions as to why the club are even thinking of selling one of the brightest talents the academy has ever produced. If I was to give my own opinion, I really can’t see this complicated deal happening as it would need time and that’s not available. Frank wants to keep him. He loves the club and wants to stay. So surely he remains a blue?
Ruben Loftus-Cheek
It’s definitely a very interesting situation with Loftus-Cheek, and I’m at the point where I cannot stop feeling disappointed with how his career has gone. On his day, at full fitness, he is genuinely in my opinion the best player at this club. But, his 13 month injury was another one added to the list, and every day we just pray he can get back to full fitness quickly. Under Lampard will he be able to get to full fitness? Probably not. His appearance against Brighton was certainly underwhelming, and since then hasn’t been involved in any of the Chelsea matchday squads, suggesting his departure on loan is coming. Out of nowhere, Ross Barkley went on loan to Aston Villa, meaning Chelsea have had to rethink about what to do with Ruben. On current form, he has Jorginho, Kante, Kovacic, Mount and Havertz all as options in front of him in midfield, and he couldn’t even get a minute in the Carabao Cup. As much as it pains to type, he needs to play at the age of 24 and he simply won’t get that at Chelsea. Whether he can finalise a loan move to another club is anothing thing, but there is a lot of interest in the England international and keep an eye on whether the club can send him out on loan despite his high wages…
Barkley’s departure on loan to Aston Villa means that Loftus-Cheek could stay after all…
Marcos Alonso & Emerson
I’m writing these two players in one, as for me only one of them is going to depart in this transfer window, with it likely being the Spaniard. Marcos Alonso’s return to Inter always seemed an option after simply not being good enough in a fullback role, and him leaving the club looks even more likely after his row with Frank Lampard after the game against West Brom, where he decided to watch the second half in the team bus instead of supporting the team from the sidelines. Emerson meanwhile almost looked guaranteed to leave to an Italian club, but when played this season, he actually looked impressive, whether that was at left-back or even at right-wing! The possiblity of both of them leaving is low as although Azpilicueta can easily cover both sides, Frank would feel much more comfortable with two fullbacks on each side of the pitch. Personally, a deadline day loan deal for Marcos to Inter will be done, although it’s important to keep an eye on the Brazilian’s situation too.
Tiemoue Bakayoko & Danny Drinkwater
Again, I put these two players together, not because it’s either one though, but more to show how easy it is for clubs to waste money. Bakayoko and Drinkwater cost us just under the price of Ziyech and Werner combined – put that into perspective. The Chelsea Spot had actually heard that there was a chance Bakayoko could stay at Chelsea if we desperately needed him, although a move did always seem the most likely option. For months and months he had been linked with top clubs including AC Milan, Napoli, PSG and more. And it looks like he’s finalising his deal to Naples in the next few hours… good luck to him!
Regarding one of our worst signings in history, I actually have no idea what’s going on with him. While writing this, I’ve also just remembered about Victor Moses who I think is still here! I’m guessing both are doing fitness work at the club, but I haven’t read a single report of either player leaving. We probably should try and get them off our wages and out of Cobham.
Antonio Rudiger
I mean, you have to feel bad for the German international, right? #AgentRudi was heavily involved in bringing Havertz and Werner to the best club in London, and then two months later is being completely isolated from the squad and Lampard’s plans. For me there is no doubt he is our worst centre-half at the club, but he does bring something to the dressing room and is also a great character, so I’m sure we will miss his presence more than his footballing abilites. Rudiger has not played a single minute so far for Frank this season, and his first choice is a move to Spurs, yet Chelsea are only going to let him move to our rival clubs if he signs a contract extension here before moving on loan. Napoli and Barcelona have also shown previous interest in the defender, but he’s a player who will almost guaranteed be leaving, so keep an eye on him.
Jorginho, Declan Rice & Thomas Partey
I’ve put all these three midfielders together because any involvement from any client will all be related to at least one other person in this list. Jorginho was incredible against Crystal Palace yesterday, but despite that performance I think his Chelsea career could be in danger soon, with Lampard wanting a more traditinonal 6 to protect the back four like a Declan Rice, or a 6 who can play next to Kante like a Thomas Partey, allowing Havertz to play as a 10 in front of them. Jorginho has heavy interest from Arsenal and Arteta is very interested in taking him on loan to join his fellow ex teammates in David Luiz and Willian, but Chelsea will still be slightly reluctact to be helping out a rival team. I think the plan for him is he will stay this window unless we sign a CDM in the next day, which Lampard still does want. The options at the moment seem to be either Rice, or Partey. Rice wants to join Chelsea, Chelsea desperately want Rice, and The Chelsea Spot understand that the deal is quite likely to happen one day, whether that is now or in the future transfer windows. But at the moment it seems like West Ham are holding their ground and refusing to sell him. Could anything change in the last 24 hours? Of course, and I’d be very surprised if a Chelsea bid didn’t go in to unsettle the West Ham board, but whether it can be done in 36 hours is the main hurdle. With Thomas Partey the deal would be much quicker as he has a release clause of £45 million, and he’s a player who Chelsea have scouted for quite some time now. All in all, if we’re going to sign one more player, it’ll be Partey or Rice, which will probably result in Jorginho leaving. All to watch for….
Sarr, McEachran & Castillo
The final three players to discuss, and they’re in the same paragraph as you most likely forgot about them! Sarr somehow isn’t on loan by now, after he had many discussions with Bayer Leverkusen and also Rennes where Chelsea used his as compensation for the Havertz and Mendy deals respectively. With only a day to go, nothing much has happened, and he does need to get his game-time as that was the whole reason we signed him on a free deal, in hope that he can develop and become a top quality centre-half in the future. He really should be going on loan soon.
George McEachran needs to experience first team football after being in the youth team for too long in my opinion, and even if that means he has to go to a low English league and work his way up, so be it. The technical midfielder struggled last season on loan in the Dutch second division, and he’s at the age where he needs to just get gametime and kick on with his career, as he certainly does have the potential in his boots.
Juan Castillo was at Ajax Jong last season and was set to sign for them this Summer, yet there were drastic last minute changes and he has found himself back in the Chelsea setup this season. It’s likely he’ll still move on loan again this season to get some more gametime, and who knows, could push into that Chelsea first team and challenge with Ian Maatsen.
I think I’ve covered all the players now…. if you want to find out updates on these players and how their moves are progressing, simply follow us on all our social media platforms!
Are there any players think have a higher/lower chance of leaving than what I said? Just let me know on my personal Twitter platform.
Chelsea somehow managed to come back from a 3-0 defecit at Half Time, to take a point away after the 90 minuets. The academy boys once again saved us from embarassment, as goals from Mason Mount, Hudson-Odoi and Tammy Abraham clinched us a draw. Let’s get into these player ratings…
Willy Caballero – 6:
Not really to blame for any of the three goals conceded, after individual errors all came from the defence. Didn’t need to do much in the match, but then again conceding three goals shouldn’t be anywhere near the normal, so he can take an average rating of 5.
Reece James – 5:
Not a spectacular performance from the English fullback, but there were some positives for sure. He made a delightful cross in the first half to Tammy Abraham who should have tucked it away, but other than that, most of his crosses and corners didn’t end up anywhere near the right place. Glimpses of his quality was shown but other than that it was certainly an underwhelming performance.
Andreas Christensen – 9:
An outstanding performance from the Centre-Half, today. Normally a player who struggles with consistency as well as these types of clubs who like to hoof the ball up a lot, but his strength and positioning was close to perfect today. He was by far our best Centre-Back today and so far this season has shown very encouraging signs of him becoming the defender we all think he can potentially be.
Thiago Silva – 4:
He took the armband in his Premier League debut, and unfortunately his mistake was so close to us losing the game. Even at 1-0 down, we looked like we could get back into the game but the Brazilian lost control of the ball and Callum Robinson glided past him and tucked it into the corner. Other than that he made some nice passes and didn’t make any other errors, but that one huge mistake certainly decreases his performance rating.
IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES
Marcos Alonso – 1:
Probably the worst individual performance I have seen in a Chelsea shirt since Bakayoko vs Watford those many years ago. At fault for their first goal by pasing the ball to them, and at fault for him losing his man in the third goal. Frank Lampard rightly hooked him off at Half-Time and called him out twice in his post match press conference, although I have given him one pity point for being played out of position.
N’Golo Kante – 6:
Not his best performance in a Blue shirt either. In the first half he looked sloppy on the ball and made some very light-hearted passes, but then again Kante did what he always does and assembled some very nice tackles and interceptions. Meh.
Mateo Kovacic – 8:
Personally thought Kovacic was very good today, and showed the world what he’s good at. Drove with the ball very quickly in the first half and got us out of so many tight areas – after all, he is one of the best press resistant midfielders in the Premier League. He linked up with our attackers more, which is something we have been crying for from the Croatian. Good shift.
Kai Havertz – 8:
Thought Kai was very impressive today, and it was his first solid performance in the Premier League. He glides with the ball, worked hard, and was involved in and around the box a lot. Made a lovely 1-2 with Hudson-Odoi for our second goal which brought us right back into the game. A lot more to come to, but this was a very good start.
IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES
Werner – 4
We saw very little of our German forward today. He hit the crossbar in the first half which he arguably should have scored from, but other than that wasn’t involved in the play at all. It certainly will be interesting to see if he starts as a winger next game, or whether he will go back to starting in the central position and drifting wide which he seems a lot more comfortable with. A disappointing performance from Timo but his goal will come, very soon.
Mason Mount – 9:
He’s just too good, isn’t he? First half he was being played out of position on the right hand side, but his versatility allowed him to be one of the better players even then. In the second half when he switched into the 8 role, he looked even better, and Mason was the stem of our comeback, after striking the ball beautifully 25 yards out with 35 minutes to go. He probably needs a rest soon after playing for all 270 minutes, but if you can’t see why Lampard wants to start him week in week out then I have no words for you.
Tammy Abraham – 7:
As he himself said after the game, he should have tucked away the tap in with his left foot in the first half. Other than that he wasn’t involved much in the game, but showed so much passion and clever striker play to get the goal in the 93rd minute to clinch us a much needed point. Didn’t get to see his linkup with Havertz, but it’ll come.
IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES
Substitutes:
I won’t give ratings to the subsitutes as I think that can sometimes be a bit harsh. But no doubt the two half time changes helped us in our remarkable comeback. Azpilicueta came on for Marcos Alonso and we all know how much effort he puts in every single game, and Dave couldn’t have done any worse.
Hudson-Odoi was arguably our Man of the Match, and he was the main man behind us coming back from 3-0. His second Premier League goal came at 3-1 down after a lovely passing move, and his finish was delightful. For our 93rd minute winner, he put in the delightful cross which eventually led to the goal. Constantly, throughout his 45 minute cameo, he was causing the West Brom defenders havoc and left them panicking. Deserves to start against Spurs midweek.
IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES
Not enough time to give a real judgement on Giroud, but he wasn’t involved much.
Chelsea’s domestic season came to a close in an FA cup final where misfortune seemed to strike Chelsea at every turn, and someone who has similarly suffered more than their fair share of misfortune is Callum Hudson-Odoi. The young winger has certainly had a less than ideal time, suffering multiple injuries throughout the season and contracting covid-19. Callum’s misfortune seemed to continue last Sunday, with 31-year-old Roma-bound Pedro being preferred to him from the bench. Hudson-Odoi was brought on later, however, Pedro being favoured over him caused fans to speculate on Lampard’s appraisal of the young winger and how his future may look under the Chelsea Legend. This article will look at Callum’s career so far, the Lampard vs Callum conspiracy theory, and how his future at Chelsea may look next season.
Hudson-Odoi is undoubtedly a top talent, something which he regularly exhibited throughout his youth career and during his limited opportunities in the 18/19 season. Incredible performances in the Europa League, a 45 million pound bid from Bayern Munich, and setting the record for youngest player ever to play for England in a competitive game naturally built up incredibly high hopes for the teenager. However, despite his talent and potential, an achilles rupture and smaller subsequent injuries have hampered Hudson-Odoi’s progress.
Hudson-Odoi coming off after his Achilles injury in April 2019. Credit: Evening Standard
Callum returned from his achilles injury only 5 months later on the 28th of September 2019. Perhaps naively, many fans expected Callum to return as one of Chelsea’s best players, making comparisons with fellow teenage England star Jadon Sancho. While it would be harsh to call Callum’s performances poor, he didn’t live up to the dizzy heights of fan expectation, eventually being dropped to the bench for Pulisic and Willian (albeit after some absolutely outstanding performances from both players, especially since the restart of football following the coronavirus break).
Callum being unable to replicate his previous form is disappointing but understandable. Achilles injuries are amongst the worst injuries a footballer can suffer. According to the American Journal of Sports Medicine, it can take a player up to a year after recovery to recreate their pre injury form. With this in mind Callum’s failure to immediately set the world alight shouldn’t be seen as an indication of a change in trajectory on his career.
Hudson-Odoi in his first game back from injury vs Grimsby. Credit: Football Fan Cast
Despite setbacks, in the limited time he’s played Callum has still done well. At face value, 1 goal and 5 assists this season isn’t a bad return for someone his age but isn’t exactly ground-breaking either. However, adjusting his goal contributions for minutes played this season tells a different story. Callum has played a total of 863 minutes in the league this season, the equivalent of approximately 9 and a half games. With this considered, 6 goal contributions in 9 and a half games shows Callum has a very high output.
Things get even more impressive when looking at his assists per 90 and expected assists (xA) per 90. In the league this season, Callum has 0.52 assists per 90, third only to Kevin De Bruyne (0.68) and Bruno Fernandes (0.52). Callum also has 0.29 xA per 90, ranking 4th overall in the Premier League. This impressive output may not be replicated over a larger sample size but it demonstrates that even while not at his best Hudson-Odoi is still a very productive player, something manager Frank Lampard definitely will be aware of.
This brings us to the FA cup final in which Hudson-Odoi was eventually called upon in the 78th minute. Lampard’s decision to bring on Pedro before him combined with frustration over Hudson-Odoi’s lack of minutes post lockdown led some to speculate that Lampard may dislike or not rate Hudson-Odoi.
So, should Lampard’s recent use of Callum be cause for concern? No. Chelsea fans will remember at the start of the season similar conspiracy theories were being thrown around about Lampard disliking Christian Pulisic. Pulisic initially received limited minutes under Lampard, until his man of the match performance against Burnley in which he scored a hattrick and cemented his place in the starting XI. 5 months later and Pulisic is now arguably Chelsea’s best player with Lampard having glowing praise for the American, saying he can reach the level of Sterling, Salah, and Mane. The point being, similar accusations have been thrown Lampard’s way before and have turned out to be completely false.
Hudson-Odoi and Lampard. Credit: Sky Sports
So why was Pedro used over Callum in the FA cup final? It’s impossible to say for sure but the decision definitely has its merits. For one Pedro is one of the most decorated players of all time, picking up every single trophy available to him in his career. The Spaniard definitely isn’t lacking in Cup final experience, especially compared to Hudson-Odoi who’s only exposure to a similar stage being at youth level. Another reason could be the stylistic difference between the players. Hudson-Odoi is a player who does his best work in the final third but isn’t really someone proficient at tracking back and contributing defensively. Barring the first 10 minutes, Chelsea’s time in the final third against Arsenal was very limited, with their press limiting Chelsea’s possession to sideways passes in their own half. Therefore the threat Callum possesses when in and around the box would be rendered useless and a player more proficient in the defensive side of the game (Pedro) could be seen as more favourable.
So how does the future look for Hudson-Odoi? Overall it hasn’t been a bad season for Callum considering the context of his fitness but next season will be a big one. The arrivals of Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner, both players capable of operating on the wing means despite the departures of Pedro and Willian, Callum won’t have a free run into the starting 11. These arrivals plus Kai Havertz (who is also expected to be joining Chelsea) are all versatile players who will both directly and indirectly provide competition for the left and right wing.
This means he will at least initially continue to come off the bench. However, the combination of being further removed from injury and a proper season should help Callum to get closer to his best. Callum’s ability to play on the left and the right works in his favour, meaning he could come off the bench for either Pulisic or Ziyech. Furthermore the introduction of new signings will bring more quality around him, so less pressure will be on him to go out and change a game on his own. These factors combined with a heavy fixture list and potential injuries to others mean Frank will undoubtedly turn to Callum throughout the season. He may not have lived up to the incredibly high fan expectation this season but Hudson-Odoi’s future at Chelsea remains a bright one.
The Chelsea Spot 