Chelsea need to finally give Callum Hudson-Odoi the chance to start

The youngster is way too talented to be sitting on the bench at Stamford Bridge when he should be seeing opportunities to feature in Premier League matches for Maurizio Sarri.

It’s been an exciting last week for Callum Hudson-Odoi as he saw his first call-up to the England senior national team, representing a youth movement that is slowly making its mark on the Three Lions. Along with Jadon Sancho and Declan Rice, the national team has some very exciting young players who are the future of this squad. Hudson-Odoi saw 20 minutes on the pitch in England’s 5-0 thrashing of Czech Republic, managing two shots on net in the short time he was in the match.

Meanwhile, with his club, Hudson-Odoi hasn’t seen much playing time this year with the Blues. Bayern Munich tried putting out a hefty bid over 30 million euros for the teenager, but Chelsea rejected it. Now Liverpool and United are both in the talks of being interested in the 18-year old as well. I don’t blame Chelsea for wanting to keep one of the most exciting young talents in Europe, but if you’re going to keep him at the club, he needs the chance to play. Chelsea currently sits in sixth place in the Premier League which is a sheer disappointment for a team of such high profile.

More from Chelsea FC

• Tuchel has eyes on Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah
• Permanent move of Cobham graduate Lewis Hall to Newcastle United
• Chelsea are not pleased with the Lukaku-Vlahović swap deal
• Chelsea joins the race against Liverpool for Romeo Lavia
• Blues select Reece James as captain and Chilwell is new vice-captain

They have struggled to score this year, as Gonzalo Higuain has been dismal since coming over from AC Milan just days before the January transfer window ended. He was brought in to add more of a scoring flair to this club, but it hasn’t necessarily worked out that way so far. He’s netted just three goals in seven PL appearances, which isn’t awful, but there was definitely more expected of him coming in.

Olivier Giroud is a lot older now and isn’t the best option to be starting on a regular basis up front. He’s usually very instrumental subbing in late in games, but that’s about it.

It’s time to give the teenager the chance to shine for Chelsea.

Give him the chance to start in PL fixtures

There’s no doubt that Maurizio Sarri has faith in Hudson-Odoi. But at this point where Chelsea are in the table, they should just give him the chance to actually start Premier League matches. Even Gareth Southgate was smart enough to call the striker up to the national team despite his lack of playing time this year and he stood out nicely in his country debut.

What Chelsea have been doing with their attack has not been working. Why not change it up and give the 18-year old the opportunity to strut his stuff with only a handful of matches left in the season? Hudson-Odoi has seen time in Europa league competition and has played very well. Through eight appearances, four being starts, the youngster has bagged four goals and two assists. I know they haven’t played the best of competition in Europa, but to basically come off the bench after barely seeing any time on the pitch and producing with these type of numbers is impressive. He’s only featured in six PL matches this term, registering a total of 119 minutes.

With Chelsea currently facing a transfer ban and Eden Hazard most likely leaving the club after the season ends, Hudson-Odoi will probably become a starter next season. With Christian Pulisic coming in from Dortmund as well, they could form an electric partnership for the Blues on the attack next year.

I don’t think it matters how much a club offers Chelsea for Hudson-Odoi, they aren’t going to sell him. I totally agree with that decision because he is truly one of the most exciting young attackers in Europe. But for the sake of his development, they might as well give him some more time in the Premier League with only eight matches left. He has proven himself to be a top talent that is deserving of more playing time under Maurizio Sarri.

I have no doubt Callum Hudson-Odoi will be instrumental in Chelsea’s squad next year but after starring for his country despite basically no Premier League service time, it’s time for Sarri to put him in a starting eleven as this season comes to a close.

There’s a very good chance he could score some much-needed goals for the Blues as they try to finish in the top five.