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CHO IN SHACKLES

By Ratul Ghosh

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114
Callum Hudson-Odoi, Marc Guehi, Gio Reyna

With the deadline day for this summer’s transfer window now passed, Chelsea had been one of the busier clubs. They were working on deals for Saul Niguez and Jules Kounde, with the former having been completed.

 

 

However, there was a discussion of a departure that could have benefited both player and club in the long run. Exciting winger Callum Hudson-Odoi who has long been touted as a player of immense capabilities and electrifying talent had been asked for on loan by Borussia Dortmund.

 

Thomas Tuchel has one of the most settled and star-studded squads at his disposal but the pathway for youngsters has been restricted a lot. That is why this move made a lot of sense for everyone involved.

 

GERMAN EXCELLENCE

Coming to the club in question which wanted Hudson-Odoi and their record of development with youth players. To quote Nice Peter from the Epic Rap Battles video “Frederick Douglass vs. Thomas Jefferson”- “let me run down my resume, will ya?”

 

  • Mario Gotze (17)
  • Marco Reus (23)
  • Robert Lewandowski (22)
  • Jadon Sancho (17)
  • Jude Bellingham (17)
  • Gio Reyna (18)
  • Donyell Malen (22)
  • Erling Braut Haaland (20)
  • Youssoufa Moukoko (16)

 

These are just some of the players that have played or are playing for Dortmund and the age at which they made their debuts. The first four names became world-beaters at the club while the final five names are integral pieces right now.

 

 

So, it is no surprise that the club has a strong reputation of turning youngsters into first-team regulars which enable them to play for any club in the world. With Marco Rose, they have one of the most dynamic and upcoming coaches who is not averse to putting his faith in players who can develop their game.

 

 

Hudson-Odoi has been blessed with supreme pace and skills which would have added to the current crop of supreme technicians that the club has right now. He could have been a direct rival to Thomas Meunier for the right-wing/wingback position Even if did not become an immediate starter, the number of minutes from the bench would have certainly increased with the chance to feature regularly in matches.

 

 

That is a far cry from his current situation where he has found game time really hard to come by and only started the UEFA Super Cup when several senior pros were absent. In comparison, Reyna has already reached 50 league matches and he is younger! That just speaks to the improvement a club like Dortmund can have on players aiming for a breakthrough in their careers.

 

BLUES FOR HUDSON-ODOI

Chelsea inexplicably insisted on keeping CHO for this season and did not want to loan him out. Players in similar position like Fikayo Tomori, Marc Guehi, and others have all left. If the idea is to give him more first-team action, there has been no indication till now.

 

 

If anything, the relationship has been a bit strained after he was infamously replaced just 31 minutes into a substitute appearance against Southampton in February. He has featured in cup competitions and even played all the friendly matches in pre-season but regular game time is not coming anytime soon.

 

 

CHO turned down a call-up to the England U21 squad this week in order to focus on his game at Chelsea. To say that he is being benched due to not producing will be a bit of a stretch. He has contributed three goals and nine assists in the Premier League from a total of 55 appearances (21 starts) since the 2018-19 season.

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CSCjS3FoJA4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

 

If Tuchel’s plan is to use him, why not just do it? The fact that Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech are all ahead of CHO in the pecking order so it is really hard to see where the supposed minutes are going to come from. It does look like another season on the bench largely for CHO and that should frustrate the player a lot.

 

NOT GIVING UP

Even though CHO was open to moving to Dortmund, that did not come to fruition in the end. That draws similarity to how his compatriot Ainsley Maitland-Niles is purportedly being treated by Arsenal going by the player’s social media post which has caused a furore.

 

 

Nevertheless, his qualities and gameplay deserve much better. CHO had a pass success rate of 82.3%, 12.24 progressive carries and 19.3 tackles (all P90) last season. That put him in the top 93, 98, 87 percentile respectively in those respective categories across players of Europe in similar positions.

 

 

Dortmund with him would have been an even scarier proposition and may have pushed Bayern Munich more in the title race as well as making inroads in the Champions League. With Chelsea, he will remain a bit-part player unless he dramatically impresses Tuchel or one of the senior pros experiences a severe loss in form which is highly unlikely.

 

 

There have been a lot of youth exits this summer for the Blues but CHO will not be joining that list. Instead, he will have to settle for scraps and hope that Tuchel uses him a bit more given how he wanted the player to remain so much.

Ratul Ghosh
His name means Red and a fan of devilish food, which equals to his favourite team being Manchester United. Can be found sleeping or in front of the TV otherwise. Hates waking up early but loves staying up late for football.

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