Callum Hudson-Odoi has revealed he felt forced to leave Chelsea over the summer and ultimately agreed to a season-long loan with Bayer Leverkusen.
When Hudson-Odoi suddenly broke into the first team at Stamford Bridge a few years back, Chelsea appeared to have another future England regular on their hands.
However, injury setbacks and his difficulty to earn a regular spot under Thomas Tuchel slowed his development, and after being kept out of the matchday squad at the beginning of the season, he believed leaving the club was his only option.
The continued investment in the squad at Chelsea, who sacked Tuchel in September before drafting in Graham Potter, has only made it harder for Hudson-Odoi to prove he is worthy of a regular place in the starting XI.
Instead, he felt he was better placed at Leverkusen, where he is afforded more game time and he has already started eight games across the Bundesliga and Champions League, with the last few of those coming under the club’s new manager Xabi Alonso.
🗣️ Callum Hudson-Odoi: “I want to get back to the player I was.”
The Chelsea loanee wants a fresh start at Bayer Leverkusen after Kai Havertz persuaded him to go to the Bundesliga 🇩🇪#BBCFootball
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) October 25, 2022
What Did Odoi Say About His Chelsea Time Under Tuchel?
“My mindset was, ‘I have to get out of there’,” he told The Athletic. “Not in a rude way, as in I don’t like the club or I don’t want to be at the club, I don’t like the club.
“Nothing like that. But I needed to play football somewhere new. Start afresh. Try the best I can wherever I am. And then go back to Chelsea at the end of the loan.”
Being primarily used as a wing-back in Tuchel’s system while being a natural winger frustrated Hudson-Odoi.
He added on his time in the role: “At times, it was okay. But sometimes in my head, I’m thinking, ‘What am I doing, why am I in this position? I’m more defending than attacking.’
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“No matter where I was playing, I was always trying to do my best and help the team. It’s not always about myself. I never argued; I just got on with it.
“But in order to get the best out of yourself, you have to play where you can feel most comfortable and do what you can do best.
“It was definitely difficult at times with him but you have to get on with it and do what you can.”
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