MX23RW : Wednesday, May 22 16:53:40| >> :120:7994:7994:

Sarri hopes Hudson-Odoi remains loyal to Chelsea

Sarri hopes Hudson-Odoi remains loyal to Chelsea
© Reuters
The Blues have no intention of selling Hudson-Odoi now or in the summer.

Chelsea head coach Maurizio Sarri says Callum Hudson-Odoi must remain loyal to the club who have nurtured him to become one of the best young players in European football.

Chelsea have no intention of selling Hudson-Odoi now or in the summer, with Sarri telling the 18-year-old winger to commit to the club, "his home".

Sarri, though, refused to guarantee game time to a player who has played for Chelsea since the under-eights.

Maurizio Sarri
Maurizio Sarri says Callum Hudson-Odoi should be loyal to the Chelsea coaches who nurtured him (Nick Potts/PA)

"If you are one of the best young players in Europe, maybe the academy helped you," Sarri said.

"He will become one of the best in Europe also in another team, but he has to respect the work of the academy coaches.

"I think he'll be the future of our club. He will be the future of English football."

Hudson-Odoi is out of contract in June 2020 and has been linked with a £35million move to Bayern Munich before Thursday's transfer deadline.

Chelsea on Monday reportedly turned down a transfer request from Hudson-Odoi, with Sarri reiterating the club's stance on Tuesday.

Sarri said: "It's not easy to keep these young players. Every big team here in England has the same problem.

"He is of course one of the best 18-year-old players in Europe, so it's very, very difficult. The club told me he's out of the market for sure and probably he will be out of the market in July."

For Hudson-Odoi to stay into the 2019-20 season it would seem Chelsea must persuade him to sign a new contract.

Sarri insisted that is not his remit and refused to promise match action.

Speaking ahead of Wednesday's Premier League clash at Bournemouth, when Hudson-Odoi is likely to be on the substitutes' bench again, Sarri added: "It's impossible to promise him that he will play every match, because it depends on the situation."

Sarri and his assistant Gianfranco Zola have been at pains to point out that few 18-year-olds have as many appearances as Hudson-Odoi this season. He has made 11, but not yet started in the Premier League.

Callum Hudson-Odoi
Callum Hudson Odoi has been with Chelsea since the under-eights (Andrew Matthews/PA)

The 60-year-old Italian cautioned Hudson-Odoi against believing the opportunities will be better away from Stamford Bridge.

"Here, I think, it's his home," Sarri added.

"We will be patient with him because he's a boy from the academy.

"I don't know if, at another club, people would be patient with him after five, six matches.

"It's very difficult to go to another country and adapt immediately or play very well immediately. It's better for him to try and improve here."

Eden Hazard and Maurizio Sarri
Chelsea head coach Sarri hopes to keep hold of Eden Hazard (Adam Davy/PA)

Eden Hazard's contract also expires in 18 months' time, with the Belgium playmaker's future likely to be a major summer topic.

The 28-year-old has previously spoken of his daily quandary over whether to commit to Chelsea or seek a "dream" move to Real Madrid.

Sarri repeated his oft-voiced wish for Hazard to stay, but says the situation contrasts with Hudson-Odoi's.

The former Napoli boss said: "The situation of Eden is different. Eden is 28. If he wants to go, I think he has to go.

"Of course, I hope the opposite. I hope he wants to stay here.

"He has the potential to be the best player in Europe at the moment.

"Sometimes he's happy with something less. It's my job to improve him and put him in a position to do his best."

Gonzalo Higuain
Chelsea's Gonzalo Higuain is set to make his Premier League debut at Bournemouth (Nick Potts/PA)

Sarri had hoped to make two signings this month. Only Gonzalo Higuain has arrived so far, on loan from Juventus, and the head coach is keen to recruit a replacement for Cesc Fabregas, who has left for Monaco.

Higuain is likely to make his Premier League debut at Bournemouth, alongside Hazard.

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Matt McGeehan, Press Association Sport');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', '2149e536-5ff9-41f0-b54a-c38dbfa1cc0a');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:club-news,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:uk');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Sarri hopes Hudson-Odoi remains loyal to Chelsea'});

ID:348592: cacheID:348592:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:11697:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Andreas Christensen wins the ball off Callum Wilson in Chelsea's EFL Cup clash with Bournemouth on December 19, 2018.
Read Next:
Juve, Dortmund 'to launch bids for Christensen'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CManchester CityMan City38287396346291
2Arsenal38285591296289
3Liverpool382410486414582
4Aston Villa382081076611568
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs382061274611366
6Chelsea381891177631463
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle381861485622360
8Manchester UnitedMan Utd38186145758-160
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham381410146074-1452
10Crystal Palace381310155758-149
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton381212145562-748
12Bournemouth38139165467-1348
13Fulham38138175561-647
14Wolverhampton WanderersWolves38137185065-1546
15Everton38139164051-1140
16Brentford38109195665-939
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3899204967-1832
RLuton TownLuton3868245285-3326
RBurnley3859244178-3724
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd38372835104-6916


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!