Five months ago, Callum Hudson-Odoi's Chelsea future was far from clear.
How drastically things have changed since the run-up to the last transfer deadline day in August when the talk surrounding the winger was him leaving on loan in search of regular minutes.
Now in January, a month where he could have again been looking elsewhere to kickstart his career, Hudson-Odoi is coming off another good display from his favoured left-wing role. A spot for some time, he was deprived of starting in for Chelsea's senior team after flourishing there in the academy.
Bayern Munich's two failed attempts to sign him in 2019 and 2020 have now given Thomas Tuchel the chance to unleash a talent that supporters have been waiting to see fulfil his high potential.
After watching his second-half display against Spurs on Sunday, I pondered how many goals this season have started from Hudson-Odoi bursting with speed with the ball at his feet?
He has played either from the start or off the bench 16 times, particularly from the left via WyScout. Even a brief glance at his senior Chelsea career can already tell you that is by far the most amount of time he has played in what many deem his best position.
In 2021/22, he has registered three goals and four assists. His total last season was five goals and five assists. His xG at the time of writing is 3.4, higher than the whole of 2020/21.
Probably the most important number for Hudson-Odoi is actually competitive minutes played this season – 1,673, which means he's closing in on his total for last season of 1,848.
But away from data, let's take a look at how Hudson-Odoi has influenced Chelsea's attack this season.
Starting against Spurs where his darting run from his own off to brush off an already booked Japhet Tanganga altered the tempo of Chelsea's possession and eventually led to Hakim Ziyech's outstanding left-football curler.
The move could have easily been halted if Hudson-Odoi decided to recycle possession safely to Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho, two players Chelsea look to settle things down.
But his burst of acceleration speaks to a wider trend this season of the academy graduate gauging the tempo of an attack and being able to alter it within seconds.
His previous assist against Aston Villa on Boxing Day showcased his good crossing delivery, whipping a ball into the perfect area for Romelu Lukaku to head the equaliser.
Against Malmo in November, his speed won the game for Chelsea. This time off the right, he was linking with Kai Havertz and bursting into space behind Malmo defender Franz Brorsson.
Here his option is pretty obvious, but the low cross into the path of Ziyech is perfectly weighted for the Moroccan, creating an easy finish.
Stretching back to October when Tuchel started to use Hudson-Odoi on the left of his attacking trio, his movement once more provided chaos even if neither of the opening goals against Norwich or Newcastle will be credited to him.
Against Norwich, Hudson-Odoi receives a pass from Kovacic near the halfway line and can easily recycle possession. But turns and runs at the Canaries defence before whipping a cross towards Havertz.
Like against Spurs, this run pushes his team further up and leads to Mason Mount's opening strike.
A week later at St. James Park, Chelsea struggled to break down a very defensive Newcastle side craving a point.
"I think Callum has finally shown what he's capable of and at the same time has much more in his locker." Peter Pankovski, a Chelsea Analyst at Football Radar, tells CareFreeChelsea.
"After holding down a role anywhere but left-wing, Tuchel has given him the responsibility to play over the likes of Werner and Pulisic and most of the times. He's looked better, especially over the course of games when he's built up momentum.
"His standout trait for me is his passing ability and the fact that he's able to play balls in between the channels, progress it quickly or just play simple 1-2s with Mason [Mount] and Kovacic, which are detrimental to the speed in which Tuchel requires his side to play.
"That being said, I still see him as a bit low on confidence, as evident by his poor finishing and reluctance to dribble at certain times."
Tuchel's frustration over Hudson-Odoi's shortcomings in games this season have been clear from his outbursts on the touchline.
"The player I watched breaking through and at academy level had the confidence and swagger to go about and try to beat anybody 1v1.
"Obviously, following his injury, he's more cautious, and I completely understand that, but I still feel he can do more. I just know he has it in his locker because you could argue his dribbling is one of the best at the club."
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