Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi admits he didn’t enjoy playing as a fullback under previous Blues manager Thomas Tuchel.
The England international has been loaned to Bayer Leverkusen this season and looks set to enjoy the chance to play a more attacking role at the Bundesliga club.
However, Hudson-Odoi didn’t get much playing time under Tuchel at Chelsea, and when he did he was often used out of position as a fullback.
Chelsea fans will now hope that their young broad man will develop as an attacking player in his time in Germany, and it will be interesting to see if Tuchel’s replacement Graham Potter takes the player’s words on board and will uses him up front when he returns to Stamford Bridge.
Hudson-Odoi discussed his struggles under Tuchel with The Athletic, saying: “(I was) definitely not a (fullback). Sometimes it was okay. But sometimes I think in my head, ‘What am I doing, why am I in this position? I defend more than attack’.
“Wherever I played, I always tried to do my best and help the team – it’s not always about myself. I never argued; I just got on with it. But to get the best out of yourself, you should play where you feel most comfortable and do what you are good at.”
He added: “I would never say a bad mouth or anything bad about him. He was always a good guy, a good man, on the field and off. It was just… with so many great players on the team, you clearly have to fight for your position and give your very best. It was certainly difficult with him at times, but you have to keep going and do what you can.”
Chelsea will have to be careful with this talented young player as they have often lost top talent without ever giving them a real chance.
We’ve seen that recently with Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori, who are doing well in Serie A with Roma and AC Milan respectively, while in the past they have also let Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah go before the pair eventually became world champions. for two of their biggest rivals.
