What's happened to 'Chelsea's Golden Boy' Callum Hudson-Odoi? Explained

Callum Hudson-Odoi, once considered the best young player at Chelsea, has turned into a forgotten man on loan in the Bundesliga. But how did that happen?

The winger broke into the first team at Stamford Bridge in 2017, featuring heavily during the 2018/19 campaign under newly appointed manager Maurizio Sarri.

A complicated contract renewal saga than followed, with Hudson-Odoi's agents asking for unrealistic terms amid an official £35 million bid from Bayern Munich. The talented Englishman eventually committed his future to the Blues but it was all downhill from there.

Struggles with Tuchel

If there was one player who struggled for his place in the starting XI under Thomas Tuchel, it was Hudson-Odoi. The problem wasn't really to have minutes, rather find the best role.

Hudson-Odoi played on both flanks as a winger, up front with another striker and, most unusually, as a right wing-back, something that which surprised the player.

Eventually, the issue of game time came up, too. A foot injury that kept Hudson-Odoi out for two months didn't help but by then, he already got frustrated by lack of faith from Tuchel. A loan move seemed a good option.

Bayer gamble fails to pay

Facing a prospect of spending most of the season on the bench, Hudson-Odoi joined Bayer Leverkusen on loan last summer, hoping to reboot his career.

But the move has been far from perfect: the winger has played just 39 per cent of the possible minutes, scoring and assisting once in 20 games in all competitions. That's a lot less than last season with Tuchel (3 goals, 6 assists) and for Bayer, Hudson-Odoi actually plays in an advanced position as a left winger.

The 22-year-old tends to feature in every game for the Bundesliga side but Xabi Alonso — who manages the Bundesliga side — rarely uses him for 90 minutes.

Leverkusen fans are not impressed 

The 22-year-old is yet to win over the fans at his loan club who, in their absolute majority, only have negative things to say. Here are some opinions from a Bayer forum on Transfermarkt.

theny06: "He shows far too little. Too safe playing forward. Poor defensively. Absolutely bad and probably cost us a lot in wages. I never thought he'd be so ineffective."

00Frederick: "I'm also surprised at his poor performances. Good that there is no obligation to buy."

Karma counter: "What he offers is just bad, it's unbelievable. Every action is too obvious, every dribbling attempt is too clumsy."

Thomi: "He can jog in training until the end of the season. Such a meaningless loan from the PL. Does he even know where he is currently playing? Chelsea won't get rid of him in the summer but will loan him to a weak PL club, where he can continue doing nothing comfortably."

What's next?

Hudson-Odoi's contract at Chelsea expires at the end of the 2022/24 season and the Blues have recently bought a €100 million player Mykhailo Mudryk, who plays in his position.

However, the 22-year-old has recently told the Daily Mail that new owner Todd Boehly personally sees a future at him at Stamford Bridge going forward.