Aston Villa must surely sign Callum Hudson-Odoi on loan
According to a report from Birmingham Live, Championship outfit Aston Villa are exploring the possibility of signing promising Chelsea youngster Callum Hudson-Odoi on loan in the January transfer window.
The Villans, who recently appointed Dean Smith as their new manager with Chelsea legend John Terry as his assistant, are reportedly planning for the winter window to recover from their tepid start to the season. And they see the gifted 17-year old as a serious loan target. (h/t Birmingham Live)
Hudson-Odoi is regarded as one of the finest talents to come through the Chelsea youth setup in recent years and is held in extremely high regards in and around Stamford Bridge. The teenage sensation has been with the West Londoners since 2007 and broke into the U18 setup back in 2016, doing so at the age of 15.
He went on to net eight times in 25 appearances in his debut campaign, assisting the U18’s to their eighth FA Youth Cup triumph. Following his exploits, the youngster was fast-tracked to the U23s at the tender age of 16. Having continued his impressive run for the U23s, Hudson-Odoi soon broke into the Blues’ senior team and made his first-team debut earlier in January in a 3-0 win over Newcastle United in an FA Cup game.
The 17-year-old was one of the biggest positives of the 2018/19 pre-season campaign for the Blues under new manager Maurizio Sarri.
Hudson-Odoi started the FA Community Shield match against Manchester City at the beginning of the term but that was the last time he took the field for the senior team this season. Instead, he has played four times for the U23s in the Premier League 2, where he has scored and assisted one goal apiece.
Aston Villa are currently placed 15th in the Championship table, having collected just 15 points from 12 games so far (W3, D6, L3). Goals haven’t been much of a concern for the Midlands outfit – they have scored 20 times in the second division, which is the joint fourth-highest tally along with Brentford.
The strikers – Jonathan Kodjia and Tammy Abraham – have scored four and three goals respectively in the Championship and seem to be pulling their weight. However, the lack of similar contribution from the wide areas is problematic for the Villans.
On-loan Everton wide man Yannick Bolasie has impressed with two goals in six games but Anwar El Ghazi has managed just one goal, while Albert Adomah and Jack Grealish are yet to open their goalscoring accounts for the season.
And this is where signing Hudson-Odoi could help the Midlands outfit. The 17-year-old might not have top-level experience but he is a raw talent who could come in and make an instant impact. Able to play anywhere in attack, the teenage sensation has the raw pace and the trickery to pose a serious threat to any opposition. Meanwhile, he showed in Chelsea’s pre-season campaign that he possesses the ability to create chances and score in numbers.
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Signing him in the winter window would allow the new manager to ease the burden on Bolasie on the wings, as well as add more firepower and cutting edge to his options in the final third of the pitch. Should there be an opportunity to sign him on loan till the end of the season, Villa must definitely go for it.
