Former Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips has suggested that Callum Hudson-Odoi should look to seal a transfer away from Stamford Bridge if he has ambitions of being more than just a squad player.
The highly-rated young England international hasn’t really progressed as many would have hoped or expected, having initially looked like a superb prospect when he broke through in the first-team.
Since then, however, a number of attacking players have come in to provide more competition for places in the Blues squad, and it could be that Hudson-Odoi would be better off leaving to play more regular first-team football.
Calciomercato linked Hudson-Odoi as a surprise target for Chelsea’s rivals Liverpool, and it could be that there would be more of a role for the 20-year-old at Anfield, where Jurgen Klopp could do with thinking about a long-term replacement for Sadio Mane, as well as adding depth in that department after the departure of Xherdan Shaqiri in the summer.
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We’ve previously seen Daniel Sturridge leave Chelsea for Liverpool, and he ended up launching his career by doing so as he enjoyed some of his best form with the Reds before injuries hampered his progress.
Wright-Phillips thinks Hudson-Odoi has more to offer and told the Metro that he seemed to think a move away was worth considering.
“I think whether he decides to realise his full potential or stick to being a fringe player is totally down to him,” he said.
“If he wants to be in and out of the team and play a role that he is doing now, then you stay at Chelsea.
“But, if you want to play regular football and show everyone why Bayern Munich were thinking about buying him, then he’s going to have to walk away and prove to people how good he is.”
Some Liverpool fans may well be hoping Hudson-Odoi pays some attention to this and that that can pave the way for a move to Merseyside.
Hudson-Odoi still has big potential and time to improve as long as he’s given a chance, and that doesn’t look like happening at Chelsea any time soon.
The west London giants might want to be careful, however, as they’ve previously let stars like Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne leave as youngsters before seeing them become world class performers for their rivals.