Chelsea news: Former midfielder urges Callum Hudson-Odoi to stay at Stamford Bridge

What's the news?

Former Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack has urged Callum Hudson-Odoi to remain patient for his game time at the Stamford Bridge. The Blues legend also openly admitted that the teenager is the future of Chelsea.

In case you didn't know...

Callum Hudson-Odoi joined Chelsea's youth academy at the age of seven and is currently among the best teenagers in the world.

However, he is struggling for his game time at the club and is yet to start a Premier League game for the Blues. His current contract with the club will expire at the end of the next season, but his bid for game time went to such an extent that Chelsea had to make sure they kept him amid growing interest from Bayern Munich.

The German giants approached Chelsea for his services last month not once or twice, but thrice. But the West Londoners held a firm grip on their decision to keep hold of their starlet.

The heart of the matter

However, former Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack believes that Callum Hudson-Odoi is the future of the club and has also urged the youngster to remain patient for his game time at the club.

He said(via football.london):

“When you are young, you want to play. That would be the most important thing for me.

If I grew up at a club at Chelsea, I would want to stay at Chelsea because that’s where I was my whole youth, plus he is one of the biggest talents not just at Chelsea, but also in England, so I would stay and try and make it."

He added:

“But of course you want that time on the pitch and if you’re not involved you look around at the clubs that have an eye on you, that’s really normal.

But I hope Chelsea can extend his contract. He is the future for the club. I hope he gets more time on the pitch.

He further elaborated:

He’s already on a level where he can play in the Premier League day-in-day-out. But he’s still young and the coaches will know how to handle him. Sometimes you have to be careful with these young players, you can’t put them in every week, the pressure is on very early.

What's next?

Chelsea will take on bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur at home when the Premier League returns, before battling it out with Fulham and Dynamo Kyiv in the league and Europa League respectively.