Chelsea had a bit of a clear-out in the summer of 2023, selling players including Callum Hudson-Odoi, Kai Havertz, and Mason Mount.
Their stints at Chelsea were filled with many memorable experiences. For instance, they were all a part of the team’s 2021 Champions League victory.
But there were also some really awful times, like losing several cup finals. Callum Hudson-Odoi also had to cope with a severe injury in 2019 that sidelined him for several months.
The winger has been talking about the injury even though he is no longer at Stamford Bridge after joining Nottingham Forest.
The most difficult time in Callum Hudson-Odoi’s career
When questioned lately, Hudson-Odoi addressed the largest obstacle he has yet encountered in his football career.
The 23-year-old replied to Sky Sports, saying, “I think the most challenging is definitely rupturing my Achilles.” It’s definitely very difficult, in my opinion, to start playing football at a young age and to accumulate more and more playing time.
“I had a lot of good people around me who helped me and pushed me daily to make sure that I’ll come back to be the player that I once was. I think it’s not easy to really recover from and understand what’s actually happening.”
What is Callum Hudson-Odoi’s current Nottingham Forest performance?
In his second season at Forest, Hudson-Odoi will be happy with the direction things are taking.
The England international scored eight goals in the premier league last season, including the game-winning goal against league leaders Liverpool.
For him, though, what matters most is that he is now receiving consistent playing time, something he was not receiving at Chelsea.
Ever since Hudson-Odoi joined Forest, where he makes £80,000 a week (according to Spotrac), Chelsea has added Pedro Neto and Jadon Sancho to their attacking lineup.
Similar to Hudson-Odoi, Sancho is a left-wing player who has excelled there for Enzo Maresca’s team since joining them on the deadline day.
In addition to winning a penalty in Chelsea’s 4-2 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend, Sancho has three assists in three games.
Hudson-Odoi would most likely not be starting ahead of the former Borussia Dortmund player right now if he was still at Stamford Bridge. He left Chelsea at the right time because they are always adding players to bolster their roster.