According to Rahman Osman of London World, Newcastle target Callum Hudson-Odoi is now likely to leave Chelsea.
What’s the story?
Well, it was said that Eddie Howe wanted the £120,000-a-week winger at St James’ Park this summer.
Now, Newcastle’s hopes of signing the England international have been given a boost, as Thomas Tuchel remains unconvinced.
Osman claims that the 48-year-old and his staff no longer view Hudson-Odoi as the player he once was, and his situation hasn’t been helped by injuries, as well as his weight at this stage of pre-season.
While that will give Howe encouragement that a deal can be done, it should also concern him a bit as well.
After all, Newcastle certainly won’t want to sign Hudson-Odoi if he arrives out of shape, and unable to make a serious impact on the first-team.
In 28 appearances last season, the Chelsea No.20 – who Gary Lineker once said had “bags of talent” – scored three goals, while also providing six assists.
Newcastle should take a gamble on Callum Hudson-Odoi
Without a doubt, Hudson-Odoi has stagnated at Stamford Bridge.
However, we mustn’t forgot what he is capable of.
This is a forward who attracted four bids from Bayern Munich in 2019, with the highest of those offers coming in at £35m.
Unfortunately, Hudson-Odoi has struggled to kick on since then under Tuchel, who does not exactly accommodate for an out-and-out winger like the 21-year-old in his system, where wing-backs are preferred to provide width.
Under Howe, in a more traditional 4-3-3 formation, Hudson-Odoi would hopefully be able to replicate what Allan Saint-Maximin has been able to achieve on Tyneside.
After all, the pair are similar players, so there is no reason why the Londoner cannot shine in Newcastle.
Keep an eye on this situation, as more should be revealed in the coming weeks.
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