Report: Chelsea will rebuff Bayern Munich attempts to sign Callum Hudson-Odoi this winter

Season 4 of the CHO saga ended before it even started. According to Simon Johnson of The Athletic, Chelsea will not entertain the idea of selling or loaning Callum Hudson-Odoi this winter, despite known interest from clubs like Bayern Munich. Blues boss Frank Lampard has only given the youngster a total of 14 league minutes in the past five weeks, and his chances of starting a game look slim due to their wealth of attacking talent.

Why is this being brought up again? Well, maybe it’s because the Chelsea execs want to assuage fears of losing the youngster, following Hakim Ziyech’s hamstring injury against Leeds. Reports indicate that Hudson-Odoi is considering leaving in the new year in search of first team football, so he can make a bid to be part of England’s squad for next year’s Euros. With Chelsea having Timo Werner, Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount, and even Kai Havertz as options on the wing, the player’s chances of making it at Chelsea look slim.

Does CHO have better chance of playing at Bayern? Almost certainly. Jamal Musiala, another former Chelsea youth player, has been getting regular time this season under Hansi Flick. Ironically, Musiala is represented by CHO’s agent. You have to wonder if he’s having second thoughts about extending his contract in the summer of 2019, given how his career has stalled today. On the other hand, he’s earning a handsome salary, so maybe it evens out.

One thing is for certain — there’s almost no chance that he’ll get any real time at Chelsea. Lampard only gives him minutes in the Champions League group games, which the Blues have already wrapped up. At this point, it’s not about developing a youngster for Chelsea, it’s about preventing another Salah or De Bruyne situation. The club is content to let him rot on the bench at Stamford Bridge, even when Bayern is perfectly willing to take him off their hands.

On Bayern’s end, now that we have Serge Gnabry, Kingsley Coman, Leroy Sane, and Jamal Musiala as long term wing options, we’re no longer reliant on signing Odoi as we once were. Brazzo should probably set his sights on an attacking right-back this winter, to bolster the ranks of Hansi’s squad.