Leicester City have contacted Chelsea over the possibility of signing winger Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Callum Hudson-Odoi, 21, has found game time hard to come by under Thomas Tuchel and has been an unused substitute in Chelsea’s first three matches of the season. Tuchel has mainly used him as a wing-back and considering the competition of places currently at Stamford Bridge, the youngster could benefit from getting regular first-team minutes under his belt with a loan or permanent move elsewhere.
Borussia Dortmund are interested in signing the England under-21 international on loan but will face competition from Leicester City, who want to bring in a wide player before the transfer window shuts on August 31. The Midlands club have already signed Boubakary Soumare, Patson Daka, Ryan Bertrand and Jannik Vestergaard this summer.
The Foxes have allowed Dennis Praet to join Torino on a season-long loan in what could be a busy end to the summer transfer window. The Belgian midfielder has struggled to flourish at the King Power Stadium since making an £18m switch from Sampdoria two summers ago.
Leicester City eyeing a winger before Tuesday’s transfer deadline
With James Maddison and Youri Tielemans having established themselves as key players in Rodgers’ midfield, Ricardo Pereira starting to get back his lost mojo and Jamie Vardy a reliable source of goals, the Foxes have a well-oiled attacking unit. The additions of Daka and Soumare have further enhanced Leicester City’s midfield and attack respectively.
However, Brendan Rodgers remains concerned over the lack of depth in the wide areas of the pitch. Harvey Barnes is the only left-winger in the Foxes squad, with Ricardo Pereira and Marc Albrighton comfortable down the right-hand side. Thus, the Midlands club are right in scouring the market for a winger and have set their sights on Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Callum Hudson-Odoi could flourish at Leicester under Brendan Rodgers
Callum Hudson-Odoi is regarded as one of the most exciting young wingers in the Premier League. A product of the Chelsea youth academy, the English winger enjoyed his breakthrough campaign in 2018/19. Regardless of making 99 first-team appearances for the Blues, he is yet to convince Thomas Tuchel.
Notwithstanding the fact that Callum Hudson-Odoi is still in the rudimentary stages of his career at 20, the Foxes would have a gem on their hands if he goes on to fulfil his promise in the years to come. Furthermore, it won’t be a surprise if the England under-21 wants to join Leicester, given their excellent track record of promoting young talent in recent years. And one can imagine a switch to the King Power Stadium drastically improving the youngster’s overall game and temperament under Rodgers.
At Leicester, the 20-year-old would potentially compete with the likes of Barnes, Perez, Albrighton and Pereira. So, it can be said that if the Foxes manage to sign Callum-Hudson, then they would have quality as well as depth in the wide department.
That said, Leicester should go all out to beat Dortmund for the signature of Callum-Hudson, who certainly will have a better chance of fulfilling his potential under Rodgers than at Tuchel’s Chelsea.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
