Chelsea have been extremely busy under their next manager Enzo Maresca this summer, bringing 11 players to the club, letting go of 11 on permanent deals, and allowing 13 to head out on loan.
The Blues have let go of youth talents such as Lewis Hall, Ian Maatsen and Omari Hutchinson this summer, as well as selling one of their best players last season, 24-year-old Conor Gallagher, who came through the Cobham pipeline.
Chelsea have already been known to sell youth talents "too early" in the past, one brilliant example being Jamal Musiala being sold to Bayern Munich for £170k back in 2019.
However, there's another who Boehly and Co may well regret selling so cheaply…
Hudson-Odoi's stats at Chelsea
Callum Hudson-Odoi came through the ranks at Cobham, widely seen as one of the most exciting prospects at the time. Making 55 appearances for the Chelsea U18 and U21 teams, the youngster managed to score 30 goals and provide 17 assists in those games.
The youngster was described as Chelsea's "wonderkid" back in 2018 by reporter Nizaar Kinsella, after scoring and assisting on his first start for the Blues against PAOK and it was during this season (2018/19) that he impressed new manager at the time, Maurizio Sarri, becoming a regular in the squad.
The English talent went on to make 126 senior appearances for the Blues, netting 16 times and providing 21 assists in that time, but it could have been very different if it wasn't for his big injury.
At the back end of the 2018/19 season, Hudson-Odoi suffered an Achilles tendon rupture, keeping him out for 143 days. But at such a young age, it began to seem hard for him to trust his body again, suffering multiple more injuries in the following seasons, including hamstring, hip, ankle and Achilles heel injuries.
Many put his stop-start Chelsea career down to that initial problem, taking the steam out of him before he fully got going, and struggling to ever get back to full fitness and trust in his body.
Fast-forward to 2023, and Hudson-Odoi made the move to Nottingham Forest for just £3m, a measly fee for a player who was still only 22 years of age and had huge upside potential, which had already been previously seen at Chelsea at such a young age.
Hudson Odoi's transfer value in 2024
Hudson-Odoi made 35 appearances for Nottingham Forest last season in all competitions, scoring eight goals and providing two assists in 2,252 minutes played.
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Since joining The Tricky Trees, the 23-year-old seems to have recaptured his confidence, managing his most minutes in a season of senior football.
Amid interest in the attacker's services this summer, Forest valued him at an eye-catching £40m, which is already 13 times the amount Chelsea sold him for, after just one year on Trentside.
Stats (per 90 mins)
Hudson-Odoi
Mudryk
Goals
0.39
0.29
Assists
0.05
0.11
Progressive Carries
5.39
5.26
Progressive Passes
2.82
2.57
Shots Total
1.84
2.00
Shots on Target
0.97
0.69
Goals/Shot
0.21
0.14
Key Passes
1.75
1.83
Shot-Creating Actions
3.98
3.43
Successful Take-Ons
2.09
2.23
When you compare the numbers from last season of Hudson-Odoi and Mykhailo Mudryk, the Englishman comes out on top in six of the ten metrics we've selected, including goals per 90, progressive passes and carries, shots on target, goals/shot ratio, and shot-creating actions per 90.
Mudryk cost Chelsea around £62m as an initial fee, compared to the £3m Hudson-Odoi was sold for. With the Ukranian's value tumbling to around £29m, as per Transfermarkt, it which makes you wonder if Chelsea should have held onto the Englishman.
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