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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Samuel Meade

Todd Boelhy's message to Chelsea outcast comes to light after Thomas Tuchel sacking

Todd Boehly told Callum Hudson-Odoi there would be no option to buy in his Bayer Leverkusen loan deal as he wanted the winger back in west London.

The American, who led a consortium that bought Chelsea from Roman Abramovich, has taken a hands on role in transfer dealings following a mass exodus of senior staff. Over £200m was spent on new recruits, but several players were moved on as a result.

Thomas Tuchel was willing to let Hudson-Odoi leave on loan having used him sporadically during his tenure at Stamford Bridge. The winger, who has come through the club's academy, has previously been the subject of huge interest from Bayern Munich

He has ended up in Germany with Leverkusen as Tuchel didn't want him in his squad this term. But Boehly made it clear that his departure was only a temporary one and he wanted Hudson-Odoi to return and became a major figure for the Blues... despite what the club's former manager may have thought.

The player told the Daily Mail on the American's approach: "It's definitely different. When a club is trying to get a player [on loan], they always want that option to buy at the end of the season. Todd was saying: 'Listen, we want you back here.'

"You're still on the radar of being wanted by the club. The way he's trying to set it up, there are a lot of young players he's trying to buy for the next few years. It shows he wants to integrate the players into the team and help them develop."

Hudson-Odoi has already helped his new side see off European heavyweights Atletico Madrid in the Champions League whilst his parent club have already axed their manager. The winger has found opportunities hard to come by throughout his professional career.

There was a huge clamour for him to start when Maurizio Sarri was boss, especially after he made his England debut under Gareth Southgate. Frank Lampard gave him more minutes before Tuchel came in.

The lack of consistency surrounding his selection often left Hudson-Odoi questioning what more he could've done with his reputation seemingly so high. He claimed: "It was one of those difficult moments when you look at yourself and say, 'What am I doing wrong? Have I done anything wrong to not even be in the squad?

"I would never say anything bad about Thomas, he was a good guy, a good manager. [But] the first game of the season, it was frustrating. Any footballer that isn't in the squad would understand how frustrating it is."

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