5 reasons why Chelsea can't let Callum Hudson-Odoi go

Callum Hudson-Odoi reportedly wants out of Chelsea - but the Blues can't let him go

One football-related story that simply won’t go away right now is the saga of Callum Hudson-Odoi and the question of whether the England youngster will leave Chelsea for a new destination – likely to be Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.

Bayern have supposedly bid up to £35m for the winger although a deal is not done just yet, and while Hudson-Odoi has remained professional throughout and hasn’t spoken about the situation, this past weekend saw reports that he’d actually handed in a transfer request after turning down a new £80k per week deal at Stamford Bridge.

All may not be lost for the Blues, though – Hudson-Odoi started their FA Cup tie with Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday and scored a great goal – and was given a hugely warm reception by the Chelsea fans. Can Chelsea keep him? Who knows – but here are 5 reasons why they need to try their best to stop him from leaving.

#1 Chelsea are short on goals – and Hudson-Odoi scores and creates

Hudson-Odoi has been involved in 3 goals in his brief appearances this season

Chelsea have enjoyed a solid start to 2018/19 under new boss Maurizio Sarri, but one area they’ve certainly been short on is goals. The Blues have scored 40 Premier League goals in their 23 games thus far – averaging 1.7 goals per game. That doesn’t sound bad, but compared to their rivals, they’re a step behind; Arsenal and Tottenham have both scored 48, while Liverpool have scored 54 and Manchester City a massive 62.

The Blues have already made a move to rectify this – by signing Argentine hitman Gonzalo Higuain on loan from Juventus to replace the misfiring Alvaro Morata, who has moved on loan to Atletico Madrid – but simply switching their striker may not be enough. That’s where Hudson-Odoi ought to come in if Chelsea are smart.

The 18-year-old might be short on experience, but an area he certainly isn’t short on is goals. Hudson-Odoi both scores and creates goals, and he’s already proven this in the few chances he’s been given in the first team this season. 2 goals and 1 assist in 10 appearances doesn’t sound like much, but most of the youngster’s appearances have come from the bench, and he only actually has 277 minutes under his belt.

That means on average, he’s involved with a goal every 92 minutes of action – an impressive stat for sure, even above Eden Hazard, who averages involvement with a goal every 80 minutes. The fact that Hudson-Odoi is so dangerous going forward – and seems to guarantee goals – should surely mean that a side like Chelsea, who are hurting for goals, should do whatever it takes to keep him.