Chelsea star Hudson-Odoi says ‘I’m grateful after crazy year from transfer request and injury to England debut’
CALLUM HUDSON-ODOI struggles to find one word to sum up the seismic experience of the past year.
Not surprising, since he has crammed a career’s worth of ups and downs into just 12 months at Chelsea.
From a cry for help with a transfer request — to signing a five-year contract.
Serious injury, becoming a Champions League player and England recognition.
The 19-year-old still doesn’t look like he can grow a full beard.
When manager Frank Lampard referred to the winger’s ‘full acceleration’ after his match-winning performance on Sunday, it encompassed every aspect of his whirlwind life.
The way Hudson-Odoi turned from his right to his left then buried a sixth-minute shot in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest was hugely symbolic.
It was not his first goal of the season — but the way he went on to dominate the game and showcase his talents made it a big statement.
With the weird kind of symmetry football tends to throw up, in January last year the ambitious but hugely frustrated academy star submitted a transfer request.
It was a plea to be noticed more than anything else.
Three months later he was undergoing surgery. While he was recovering, Chelsea sacked Maurizio Sarri and brought in club legend Lampard.
In a ruthlessly competitive industry, that kind of uncertainty can age a young man overnight.
Now with a long-term contract to fall back on, international and European football on his CV and a manager who believes in him, Hudson-Odoi can finally take stock.
He explained: “I’d say I’m grateful — I feel fortunate with what has happened.
“The injury is an experience that you learn from because I didn’t know about these things before.
“It happened to me for the first time. And the transfer request taught me about that kind of situation.
“The England thing, the Champions League debut, and a change of manager has taught me a lot. So I would say ‘experienced’ is the word.
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“I’m much more mature now, it’s made me wiser. It makes me think everything has happened for a reason — so I should be grateful and give thanks to God.
“There are times when I sit back and think to myself what a crazy 12 months it has been. Good or bad, everything happens for a reason. So you have always got to be grateful.”
It was hard to imagine Hudson-Odoi saying thanks when he limped out of a game against Burnley in April with a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Hudson-Odoi said: “When the injury first happened I wasn’t really sure what it was — I was thinking it would be a couple of weeks out.
“Then I got back in the changing room and the doctor told me what it was and I thought, ‘Wow’. I didn’t know it was that bad. An injury like that does make you think, ‘Why me?’
“I said to myself, ‘Everything happens for a reason,’ and it has made me mentally stronger.
“Getting injured at a key moment in my career and missing the start of the season was sad.
“But at the same time, it motivated me to come back stronger — because I saw everyone doing so well.
“I was seeing Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori doing it and I wanted to be among them again.
“I’m buzzing with the goal on Sunday, it was a big relief. I haven’t scored in a while. Now I just want more — and to be more clinical in front of goal.
“It was, ‘Wow, finally you have scored’. I have wasted chances but I have to be patient, as long as I am contributing to the team that is all that matters.”
It seems like we are talking about somebody else when the topic of German champions Bayern Munich’s pursuit of Hudson-Odoi this time last year crops up.
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Now with 12 years of service at Chelsea behind him, Hudson-Odoi said: “I was talking about it with the family and thinking, ‘I just want to play games,’ and at that moment I wasn’t playing enough.
“I wouldn’t say I was close to leaving but it was on my mind. What happened in January happened. But I signed my contract and I’m happy here now — everything is going well.
“It’s been a rollercoaster year. A lot of things have happened which made me learn and think about stuff. I just needed to get back, be confident, be myself, score, assist — and show what I can do.”
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