John Barnes offers advice to Callum Hudson-Odoi at Chelsea FC
John Barnes urges Callum Hudson-Odoi to stay at Chelsea FC and fight for his place in the first team at Stamford Bridge
John Barnes has urged Callum Hudson-Odoi to stay at Chelsea FC and fight for his place in the first team at Stamford Bridge.
The 18-year-old Chelsea FC starlet was linked with a move away from the west London club in the January transfer window, with Bayern Munich reportedly interested in bringing him to the Bundesliga.
However, Chelsea FC refused to do business and Hudson-Odoi ended up remaining with the Blues for the rest of the season at least.
Hudson-Odoi came off the bench to score in Chelsea FC’s 3-0 win over Dynamo Kiev in the Europa League at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night.
But he has still found his first-team opportunities to be limited under Maurizio Sarri this season, and he is yet to start a game in the Premier League for the Blues this term.
Hudson-Odoi’s Chelsea FC contract is set to expire in the summer of 2020 and it remains to be seen what will happen with the teenager.
And former England and Liverpool FC attacker Barnes has now given his take on the situation.
“Maybe next season he feels he will be given more playing time [at Chelsea FC],” said Barnes, who was speaking exclusively to The Sport Review for bookmaker comparison platform BonusCodeBets.co.uk.
“At Bayern Munich, with Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery being the age they are, maybe he feels that he would have an opportunity to play there.
“What I would say is that it would be a difficult and pressured situation to go to Bayern Munich and take over from those two when you haven’t even made a name for yourself in the Premier League.
“I would always urge players to show a level of consistency before they go into a high-pressure situation.
“Jadon Sancho is a little bit different because Dortmund isn’t as high-profile as Bayern Munich, where you have to perform from the first minute. Going there and having not played for Chelsea regularly may be a bit of a gamble, but he has to decide whether he feels he’s going to get he games he deserves.
“I think he will [get games] at Chelsea, because I think he’s shown enough now. I think next season, he can look at the team and he may feature more.
“But he has to decide. I had played for England for four years before I got to go to Liverpool. Back then, players stayed at their clubs to show a level of consistency, before you got a chance to go to a big club. At a big club, you can’t afford not to be consistent.
“That’s the way it was back then. Now, you see players play 10 good games and they transfer for £20m and they are under pressure. Now, you see young players go to big clubs too soon and it doesn’t work for them.
“From that point of view, I would still urge Hudson-Odoi to stay at Chelsea. I don’t think he’s necessarily been around the first team enough to make that decision that he’s not been given a fair chance.”
Hudson-Odoi will be hoping to feature for Chelsea FC when the Blues take on Wolves at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
