No stopping the rise of Callum Hudson-Odoi
ON Sunday evening, Callum Hudson-Odoi went to sleep in his bedroom at his parents’ family home in south London. On Friday night at Wembley, he could become the second-youngest player to represent England in a competitive senior game. At 18 years and 135 days, he would sit between Wayne Rooney and Duncan Edwards. Michael Owen is next on the list. It is extraordinary company and some might question the wisdom behind what would be a rather sudden promotion. For Hudson-Odoi, this is merely further confirmation of his undoubted potential. The Chelsea winger is a sensation who has attracted attention from Europe’s finest clubs for several years. One scout at Barcelona made an attempt to coax Hudson-Odoi to Catalonia even before he had excelled as England’s Under 17 team lifted the World Cup in 2017. In January, Bayern Munich made their very public move for the teenager. Bayern were not only prepared to commit £40million to a transfer but they were also ready to promise their coveted No 10 shirt to an 18-year-old Englishman who is still to start a Premier League match for Chelsea. They had noted that Hudson-Odoi’s Instagram and Twitter handles used the name Calteck10’ and they sensed the marketing appeal of the No 10 jersey. Hudson-Odoi has posed in fashion shoots and has a deal with adidas worth just under £100,000. But for all his commercial nous, he remains grounded. He lives at home with his mother and father and has no plans to move out. His parents and brother, Bradley, were at Stamford Bridge when Hudson-Odoi scored his first Chelsea goal against PAOK Salonika in November. When their son played in the Under 17 World Cup final against Spain in India, the family watched from their living room. On Friday, they will have a closer view at Wembley. For all the noise surrounding Hudson-Odoi, his prime motivation is his football and, as things stand, he remains determined to complete a move to Bavaria. As a teenager in the academy, there was a feeling that for all his individual skill, Hudson-Odoi needed to work harder off the ball. He listened and adapted. At Chelsea, he endures a lukewarm relationship with manager Maurizio Sarri. There is widespread bewilderment both in the dressing room and among the hierarchy as to why Hudson-Odoi’s starts have been confined mostly to dead-rubber ties in the Europa League or against Championship competition in the FA Cup. At the last attempt, Hudson-Odoi turned down a new £85,000-a-week contract at Stamford Bridge and this international call-up will either raise the price for Bayern in the summer or add a few extra thousand to any Chelsea deal. In January, he handed in a transfer request, which the club rejected. Everyone at Chelsea was impressed by the 18-year-old’s response after allegedly suffering racist abuse by Kiev fans late in the game. He informed his captain Cesar Azpilicueta and Chelsea in turn made an official complaint. Hudson-Odoi was satisfied by the club’s response and he, along with the club, decided the bigots should not become backpage news on a night he had scored in a 5-0 victory. Sarri has described the player as potentially one of Europe’s best. Bayern winger Arjen Robben has echoed this view. Now Hudson-Odoi has a chance to prove it on the grandest stage of all. | Daily Mail