A familiar face will be the danger man when Chelsea bid to strengthen their hold on a European spot at Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Callum Hudson-Odoi has re-ignited his career under Nuno Espirito Santo after a slow start following his move to Forest in a £5million deal last summer.
The 23-year-old winger, who was once the golden boy of the Chelsea academy, has started 10 of Forest’s past 12 matches and his two goals in a 3-1 win against Sheffield United helped steer them away from the relegation zone.
He now has seven goals and two assists this season and will be out to prove a point against his former side on what will be his 100th Premier League appearance on Saturday.
Hudson-Odoi was predicted to be a star at Chelsea. In 2019, he was handed a £150,000-a-week contract after the Blues rejected bids of up to £35million from Bayern Munich. With his contract running down, Chelsea were boxed in.
Some accused Hudson-Odoi of losing his hunger, but an Achilles injury five months earlier was the main factor behind his career stalling. He fell out of favour at Stamford Bridge and was forced to train with the Chelsea Under-21s last summer after the club made it clear they wanted to sell him.
Hudson-Odoi agreed a substantial pay cut to join Forest, highlighting his fall from grace.
Chelsea will be pleased to have ultimately signed Cole Palmer instead, but the move to Forest on a three-year deal is working out well for Hudson-Odoi.
His good individual battle with Manchester City’s Kyle Walker last month showed his running power is back following his injury, and Pep Guardiola is understood to have pulled him aside to congratulate him on his performance in that game.
With just two years left on his Forest contract, Hudson-Odoi will soon be in line for either increased terms or a move to a bigger club if he continues his good form.
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On Saturday at the City Ground, he will be out to show Chelsea what they let go when the Blues bid to continue their good form after wins against Tottenham and West Ham.
“I want to help the team and get more goals and assists,” said Hudson-Odoi ahead of his reunion with his former club. “Hopefully, there are many more to come.”
