Chelsea head coach Maurizio Sarri has given a big hint that Callum Hudson-Odoi may not start the game against Dynamo Kiev on Thursday.
The 18-year has drawn attention to himself lately, for his performances in the games he’s featured in and also for the strong interest shown in him by Bayern Munich in the winter transfer window. The German champions were very assertive in their pursuit of the youngster in January, submitting four bids which were all rejected by the Blues.
Sarri has also been under pressure to hand Hudson-Odoi more chances in the first team after impressing almost every time he has been given the opportunity. He has scored in each of the last three games in the Europa League and that prompted a question from the assembled journalists present at the pre-match press conference about whether Hudson-Odoi will play a part in Ukraine.
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Sarri responded with his own question while insisting he will like to field a strong line-up to make a statement.
“Why not Ampadu? Tell me the different. I have a lot of players, of course. I know very well that, for you, Hudson-Odoi is the best. But, for me, I want to see them all at the same level. Hudson-Odoi is doing very well in the last period. He will be tomorrow, for sure, in the 18-man list. Maybe on the pitch, I don’t know in this moment.
But I want to send to my team the message that the match is very important. I don’t want to make a mistake in this game. But, maybe, as you know in the last match Hudson-Odoi was the first change. So you know very well that Odoi is in my mind for every match.”
Maurizio Sarri, Football London