Callum Hudson-Odoi has revealed Todd Boehly’s message to him before completing his loan move to Bayer Leverkusen from Chelsea.
The 21-year-old has joined the Bundesliga side for the current season in the hopes of gaining more minutes on the pitch.
Hudson-Odoi was injured for a large part of the previous campaign, but has already featured regularly for his new side this term.
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The winger has made ten appearances in all competitions so far for Leverkusen, with six of those coming in the Bundesliga and the rest in the Champions League.
He has picked up one assist for the German club this season, and the Blues have the opportunity to recall him from his loan in the January transfer window.
When speaking to The Athletic, Hudson-Odoi revealed what Chelsea co-owner Boehly said to him before he departed to Germany.
“He said, ‘Make sure to do your thing over there — be confident, be free, be the player that you want to be.’”
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Leverkusen are currently 15th in the Bundesliga, just one spot above the relegation zone.
Hudson-Odoi has joined the side after five consecutive years in the senior squad at his parent club, making 126 appearances in all competitions.
He featured 28 times last season, scoring three goals and providing six assists, but a problem with his Achilles saw him miss much of the second half of the campaign.
In a recent interview with BBC Sport, the Cobham graduate revealed why he made the switch to Leverkusen, with Chelsea having a lot of competition for attacking places in the side.
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"Game time was the whole reason why I came (to Bayer Leverkusen),” he said.
“I wanted to develop and be a bit more responsible about stuff.
"I think you could come over here and think 'OK, you've won some trophies at Chelsea', but you don't want to have that mentality.
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“You want to win more and try to help the team.
"At Chelsea, I felt like I was being a bit safe and not really wanting to drive past players but now I feel the confidence of doing all that is back."
Hudson-Odoi could have the chance to play under Graham Potter at some point this season should he return from his loan, with the Blues still unbeaten under the head coach since his arrival at the beginning of September.
They currently sit fifth in the Premier League table, with the west London side now fast approaching the break for the World Cup.
Topics: Chelsea, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Bayer Leverkusen, Todd Boehly
Robert Calcutt