5 reasons why Chelsea can't let Callum Hudson-Odoi go

#2 Selling him would send an appalling example to their other young players

Selling Hudson-Odoi would send an awful message to other Chelsea youngsters like Ethan Ampadu

What do Lewis Baker, Dominic Solanke, Izzy Brown, Josh McEachran and Nathaniel Chalobah have in common? All 5 were hugely talented youngsters who developed their skills in Chelsea’s academy, and as of today – as harsh as it is to admit – none of them have quite reached their potential just yet. Sure, there are various reasons for this, but it’s impossible to deny that part of the problem was the way they were treated at Chelsea.

Simply put, no other club gives as few chances to its talented youngsters as Chelsea. The proof is there for all to see in the fact that John Terry was the last academy product to really cement himself in the Blues’ first team, although Ruben Loftus-Cheek is finally beginning to break through too. And that’s exactly why Hudson-Odoi seems to want out.

But surely this approach simply doesn’t make sense. Why would a club like Chelsea – and their owner, Roman Abramovich – want to continue to spend millions in the transfer market when ready-made stars like Hudson-Odoi are coming through their own production line? At some point, surely this short-sighted nature needs to change.

What kind of message would selling Hudson-Odoi send to the club’s other youngsters, players like Ethan Ampadu, Mason Mount and even younger stars like Trevoh Chalobah and George McEachran? It’d tell them that staying at Chelsea risks them wasting their careers away – and how long would it be before they look to follow Hudson-Odoi out the door? Chelsea’s young talent is simply too good to be wasted in that way – and so the Blues need to keep Hudson-Odoi and actually utilise him.