Thomas Tuchel admitted he had already been keeping an eye on Callum Hudson-Odoi even before he arrived at Chelsea.
At first, Tuchel’s decision to use the 20-year-old as a right wingback was frowned upon by many Chelsea fans.
It was not a surprise since Hudson-Odoi had never played in that position before and Chelsea have another talented right back in Reece James.
But Hudson-Odoi has arguably been Chelsea’s best player in Tuchel’s first two games in charge, including in the 2-0 win over Burnley on Sunday.
Interstingly, Tuchel said Hudson-Odoi already caught his attention before he arrived at Chelsea.
“Of course we knew him [Hudson-Odoi] — there were big rumours about his [potentially] joining Bayern Munich all the time,” he said in his post-match press conference (via HaytersTV).
“Even before that — because we are interested in football and in upcoming players.
“So he was already in focus even before I even thought of being his manager.”
Speaking about Hudson-Odoi’s new role, Tuchel suggested that it is just one of the possible roles the winger could play under him.
“Why not? He can have his input on the line, he has the ability to be decisive with his runs and speed,” he explained.
“And for the moment, we opt for this formation. He can play in half spaces in attack, this is clear.
“So yeah, he has the ability, and he had another good game.”
Chronicle view
We have to give credit to Tuchel because not many would have thought that Hudson-Odoi could thrive as a wing-back.
The England international has always been comfortable playing wide, both on the left and on the right.
But with a centre-back behind him in a back-three, his pace and work rate also make him an important defensive piece against counter-attacking teams.
It is always exciting to see a raw talent like Hudson-Odoi develop under a manager who clearly has a lot of interesting ideas.
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