When Eden Hazard finally left for Real Madrid in the summer and Chelsea were left with the prospect of being unable to bring in a replacement due to a transfer ban, you would have forgiven their fans for feeling fairly downbeat about the season ahead.
The Blues were so reliant on their star man Hazard when it came to chance creation, goals, and inspiration that many were left wondering how the club would cope when the Belgian’s inevitable move to the Spanish capital was complete. Hope now had to be pinned on a young and inexperienced group of players, as well as two wingers (Pedro and Willian) who are approaching the twilight of their careers.
Those fears became understandable at the start of this season. Chelsea picked up just five points from their first five league games, a run which included a 4-0 hammering at Manchester United and draws at home to Leicester City and Sheffield United, where they let promising leads slip.
Due to his glittering career at Stamford Bridge as a player and with the expectation that this was set to be a transition season, Chelsea fans were prepared to give new manager Frank Lampard the benefit of doubt. However, there also needed to be some positives to provide comfort to the inconsistency.
Return of Callum Hudson-Odoi Proving a Huge Boost to Chelsea
Callum Hudson-Odoi: The Chief Creator
There have been plenty of said positives. Tammy Abraham has eight league goals so far, while Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori and Reece James have thrived off the back of some extra responsibility. Yet, perhaps the most positive signs are coming from the returning Callum Hudson-Odoi, who is proving to be Chelsea’s brightest creative spark since battling back from an Achilles injury.
Hudson-Odoi has only played 196 minutes in the league this season but his positive impact on Chelsea is already starting to show. He already has three league assists and is proving to be a real threat for opposition sides down the left-flank with his skilful dribbling and drive to go forward into dangerous attacking situations.
No game was a better example of that than the 1-0 win over Newcastle United at the weekend. Hudson-Odoi created five chances, the most by a Chelsea teenager since Romelu Lukaku in 2012. He was accurate with his crossing, as shown with a clever delivery in the first-half which Willian headed wide, and provided a smart pass for the winner from Marcus Alonso, who drilled in a low effort into the bottom corner.
“I thought he was good, really good, in terms of product on the wing and taking people on,” Lampard said on Hudson-Odoi after the win. “He looked sharp, getting at people. A big threat. I am really pleased with that. The end product will come even more with Callum, another young player. So coming inside and getting his shots away, he was giving them a big problem so it was great to see and for the fans to see. Callum needs to carry on doing that. There are glimpses today of some of the special stuff he has got.”
What is even more promising to Chelsea fans is that these kind of performances are becoming no fluke. On average, Hudson-Odoi is currently creating a chance every 22 minutes this season, with the next best from a winger at the club being Pedro (30 minutes per chance created). In addition, the 18-year-old is averaging an assist every 3.8 games in the league overall and only eight players in the history of the Premier League have more assists to their name before turning 19.
Lampard Faith
One area where Lampard is receiving plenty of credit is with the amount of faith he is placing in Chelsea’s academy players. While such a policy may have seemed the only option due to the transfer ban, Lampard has often gone with the likes of Mount and Abraham ahead of the more experienced Matteo Kovacic, Michy Batshuayi and Olivier Giroud.
Callum Hudson-Odoi is the latest to be repaying Lampard’s trust in him. Not only is he providing Chelsea with real go-forward in their attacks with his skill on the ball and willingness to take players on, but the winger is also giving Chelsea quality from the left-flank through accurate crossing and important passes in the final third.
Looking back on last season, Hudson-Odoi’s frustration and unwillingness to sign a new contract now seems understandable. The England man fell out of favour with Maurizio Sarri and a move to Bayern Munich was on the cards. However, Lampard quickly realised that Hudson-Odoi was a player that the club could ill-afford to lose, as he convinced him to sign a new deal at the Bridge.
“He can be central to this team and for England,” Lampard said on Hudson-Odoi, who committed his future to Chelsea until 2024. “I want to work with him, I want to drive him forward and I want to improve him as a player. Callum can show, right here at Chelsea the club he came through the academy at, that he is going to be a world-class player because I truly believe that.”
Eden who? Chelsea’s cult hero may have left but it is Callum Hudson-Odoi who has taken over the mantle of the chief creator at the club. With his 19th birthday yet to be reached, you can bet that the winger is just getting started.
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