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Chelsea must keep talented English youngster at the club

Hudson-Odoi, Chelsea
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Callum Hudson-Odoi boasts the kind of “huge potential” that Chelsea should be looking to keep on their books, says Gianfranco Zola.

German giants Bayern are back in the hunt for Hudson-Odoi. The Bavarians have kept close tabs on the winger for a while now.

Chelsea were able to fend off the Bundesliga champions when tying the highly-rated academy graduate to a new contract. However, they have since brought in more attacking talent around him.

Added competition for places, along with the odd injury issue, means that Hudson-Odoi is no longer guaranteed a regular role at Stamford Bridge.

That has Bayern sniffing around once again, with one loan-to-buy approach knocked back. Regardless, Zola believes the Blues need to be doing all that they can to retain the services of the talented 19-year-old.

The Chelsea legend told Sky Sports: “When you are talking about a young player you are talking about how good he is and how good he can become and certainly Callum is one of those players who has huge potential.”

“It will be down to him to keep working and improving, but in my opinion he has a bright future ahead of him because he has qualities not many players have.”

“Now it is down to him to use those qualities in the best way. You don’t have to just work on your game, you have to work on yourself. This is the last step to becoming a big, big player.”

After Chelsea’s recent victory against Crystal Palace, Frank Lampard was quick to mention how pleased he was with Hudson-Odoi. The Blues boss seemed to be passing the message across that the youngster remains firmly in his plans.

In a season that could see games come in thick and fast, the Blues would know better than to release one of their best young prospects.

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