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The Blues forward is off to a brilliant start, but his presence could have one of England’s young talents fighting for future playing time.
Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard has been silent on rumors linking winger Callum Hudson-Odoi to a departure from the club.
Despite Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic being injured in Monday’s win over Brighton, Hudson-Odoi made just a 10-minute cameo at Amex Stadium and has subsequently been linked to a transfer by Bayern Munich a one more time.
Indeed, since the return of football after the coronavirus outbreak, Hudson-Odoi has started only one game and has accumulated a total of just 203 minutes.
Lampard was unable to confirm or deny rumors linking the 19-year-old winger to a departure, but insists his team’s selections are based on training performance and that he has no favorites on the team.
“I have no idea; I have nothing. I don’t know if there is any truth to that, so I guess there isn’t much to say,” Lampard said during a press conference.
“I would be surprised if any player is not disappointed when he doesn’t play. I would be very surprised by that. With Callum, the young player that he is, he has to absolutely focus on the work he does in training camp day after day.
“I’ve said it several times already. When I select a team, I have to think about how the players train, how they play within the team, how we work with the ball and, equally, how we do it. The ball. I have no favorites here, no I rely on people because I like them.
“I lean on people because I want people to be successful, which in turn will make everyone here happy. Callum is a young player in development and there has been a lot of talk about the way his career has gone. at an early age.
“The facts remain the same for all the young players in the squad, they have to work every day with the idea of putting themselves in the frame to start.
Chelsea hopes to shed several players before the transfer window, but Hudson-Odoi is not understood to be one of them as the teenager still has four more years on his current contract.
This season, more than ever, will see clubs manage a relentless schedule as the coronavirus pandemic triggered a late start to the Premier League season.
César Azpilicueta was left out for Chelsea’s first game of the season, along with players like Tammy Abraham, Olivier Giroud, Antonio Rudiger and Ross Barkley, but Lampard was eager to assert that their captain is still the leader in the locker room.
“Yes, absolutely Azpi is the captain of the club this season,” he added. “He has done a great job. Since I have been in the position, he has been of great help to me, how he has handled himself on and off the pitch, how much he feels for the club, how much he communicates on the pitch. Team.
“We can all see the quality of Reece James and the competence I have in that right-back position, but Azpi’s professionalism means he’s going to be as important to us this year as he always has been. He’s officially the captain of the club.” .
Lampard also gave an idea of how carefully Chelsea looked at new signing Timo Werner, saying the forward is “very low maintenance” despite his star status.
The 24-year-old impressed on his debut and was later revealed to the media where he seemed relaxed but confident in his ability to adapt to the Premier League coming from RB Leipzig.
Chelsea will face Liverpool next, where Werner is expected to start after overcoming a dead leg suffered against Brighton. Lampard asked Ethan Ampadu, who was on loan at Leipzig last year before moving to Sheffield United this season, in a broad effort to profile Werner before signing him.
“We have a recruiting department that would always look as deeply as possible at the backgrounds of the players, but yeah, I’m practical too and it’s something I like to see to get a feel for them,” Lampard said. .
“I like to check the players’ social media sides from time to time and when you are hiring a player, of course it can give you a small degree of detail about the player. Of course, it helps a lot.
“I asked some people about him, we had a player, Ethan Ampadu, who was on loan at Leipzig last year, so there was an obvious connection. There are ways that you can very easily see the lives of gamers today: social media and stuff.
“For me, the most important factor is that you can always hear second or third hand how hungry they are, but it is not until you talk to them and start interacting that you start to have that feeling for the person, their hunger and their drive. . and his humility.
“So when I spoke to Timo, I instantly felt it from him and, also from training camp, he is a low maintenance player that I love. They just want to train and they want to work and give their all and be a player.” great advantage for the team.
“Timo has already shown it and I’m sure it will be a huge part of the successful career. I really believe that he will have here as a Chelsea player. He is robust so I have no doubt that he can handle the Premier League and the size of the opposition.
“And he has very little maintenance. He comes, trains, works hard, lives well and wants to come here and be a success. And he said it in his post-match statements. All the players who come from foreign leagues You have to give him some time to adapt to the league.
“I’m sure they will adjust quickly. We will work towards that. I would like to see Timo face a fantastic defense, Liverpool, at the weekend. I don’t care how he will do it, in terms of size, speed, strength or Liverpool. I’m sure Timo will stand up and give it his all. “
