Callum Hudson-Odoi "could be the next player to leave Chelsea" this summer after genuine interest from Saudi and European clubs make a move possible, claims transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.
Is Callum Hudson-Odoi leaving Chelsea?
Stamford Bridge has once again become a hub of transfer activity this summer, as it seems to every year. Only this time, the focus has been on selling players, with a swath of first-team players leaving the club for other European destinations like Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Premier League rivals like Kai Havertz, or the burgeoning Saudi Pro League like N'Golo Kante.
Despite the club starting to switch focus towards incomings now, with the arrival of youngster Nicolas Jackson, the firesale of Blues players doesn't look to be coming to a halt anytime soon, with the next star to depart west London potentially being Cobham graduate Hudson-Odoi.
The 22-year-old winger has been with the Pensioners since age eight, but after a poor few years with the club, followed by an even worse loan spell to Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, his time as a Chelsea player looks to be well and truly over.
Several clubs have been linked to the player, once described as "special" by Frank Lampard, with at least two clubs from the Saudi Pro League holding a genuine interest in him, per The Athletic.
Closer to home, he has attracted interest from a few Premier League clubs so far, with Steve Cooper's Nottingham Forest and Marco Silva's Fulham said to be the two most interested parties in his services, whereas European royalty AC Milan are also monitoring the player, per The Athletic.
Of all the options available to the Wandsworth-born winger, his priority is to remain in Europe, be that by joining a team on the continent or joining another Premier League side; he isn't keen on a move to the Middle East, per transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.
He explained the situation on his YouTube channel, saying:
"Hudson-Odoi has decided to leave Chelsea, he wants a permanent move, wants to try something different to also have a different kind of challenge in his career. So discussions are ongoing.
"He had some approaches from Saudi, but the priority is European clubs, and this is why his agents are working on some solutions in Italy for Hudson-Odoi, who could be the next player to leave Chelsea."
Would Callum Hudson-Odoi be a good signing?
There is no denying that, at this point, Hudson-Odoi is not performing anywhere near the level required to play for a Champions League-level side, nor has he really been anywhere near that level for a good few years either.
That said, before suffering a series of injury setbacks between 2019 and 2022, he showed glimpses of world-class potential for the Blues, so much so that German giants Bayern Munich wanted the then 19-year-old on loan with an option to buy for £70m in 2020.
His underlying numbers also suggest that there is still something to work with for whoever ends up as his manager next season.
According to FBref, who compare players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, Hudson-Odoi sits in the top 10% of wingers for pass completions, the top 13% for progressive carries, the top16% for progressive passes, and the top 24% for successful take-ons, all per 90.
Whether it ends up being Fulham, Forest, or another club from the continent, signing Hudson-Odoi will certainly be a gamble, but if he can fulfil even a fraction of the enormous potential so many believed he once had, it could be a gamble with massive upside.
