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Callum Hudson-Odoi was left to cut a sorry figure after his loan move to Borussia Dortmund was blocked by Chelsea on transfer deadline day, according to the Daily Star.
According to the aforementioned source, Borussia Dortmund made a late attempt to sign Callum Hudson-Odoi from Chelsea on deadline day, which also included an option to make the move permanent for £70 million. The Bundesliga outfit even assured Hudson-Odoi first-team football.
However, Chelsea seemingly blocked the transfer, forcing the 20-year-old winger to stay with the Blues despite him falling down the pecking order under the management of Thomas Tuchel.
This is not the first time Chelsea have blocked Callum Hudson-Odoi's move to the Bundesliga. In 2019, the Blues rejected Bayern Munich's attempts to sign their academy graduate, making his blocked move to Dortmund even more frustrating.
Callum Hudson-Odoi could have joined the likes of Jadon Sancho, Reece Oxford and Jude Bellingham in the list of young English players who gained first-team exposure in Germany.
But Hudson-Odoi will now have to fight for his place at Chelsea and compete against the likes of Kai Havertz, Mason Mount and Hakim Ziyech. The 20-year-old is yet to feature for Chelsea this season.
Thomas Tuchel wants Callum Hudson-Odoi to fight for his place at Chelsea
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel instead wants Callum Hudson-Odoi to fight for his place in the first-team. When asked about his chances of leaving Chelsea on loan, Tuchel said the club will need a large enough squad to compete across all fronts which is why they cannot let Hudson-Odoi leave on loan.
The Chelsea boss said:
"There’s always room for improvement here in training. It’s hard to argue that he needs regular game time to improve his level. At the same time, it’s not only about letting players go. If we want to compete in all competitions, it’s also about numbers.
"You need a squad of 20 to 21 players. I have the feeling that Callum decided to fight for his place here. He had a very good pre-season. The door is always open to sneak through. At the moment, there is no loan.”
As things stand, it seems highly unlikely that Callum Hudson-Odoi will get enough game time at Chelsea. The youngster can only expect to be part of teams that compete in the Carabao Cup or the FA Cup.
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