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Callum Hudson-Odoi speaks on why he left Chelsea for Leverkusen during the summer on a long loan.
English professional footballer Callum James Hudson-Odoi has elaborated on his reasons for having to leave Chelsea in the summer to join Bayer Leverkusen on a long-term loan.
In light of the “tough times” he had under Tuchel, Hudson-Odoi acknowledges the necessity to “get out” of Chelsea. He felt compelled to leave Chelsea during the summer and finally decided to sign 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.
A move away from the club seemed to be his only option after being kept out of the matchday squad at the beginning of the season due to injuries and his inability to convince Thomas Tuchel that he was deserving of a regular spot.
“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.”
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Additionally, Odoi found it frustrating as Tuchel’s approach forced him to play primarily as a wingback despite the fact that he is a natural winger. 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’. 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.”
The continued investment in the squad at Chelsea, who sacked Tuchel in September before drafting 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.
The 21-year-old is keeping one eye on the World Cup coming up next month, just like many other players throughout Europe.
He may yet be able to play for Ghana, who have been placed in Group H with Portugal, Uruguay, and South Korea, even if earning a spot in the England team appears to be very impossible.