Callum Hudson-Odoi explains why he signed new Chelsea contract
Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi says he made a "very good decision" in choosing to sign a new five-year contract at the club in September.
The Blues academy product handed in a transfer request in January after Bayern Munich submitted an offer of £35m for the youngster.
Hudson-Odoi was frustrated at his lack of game time under Maurizio Sarri, who belatedly handed the attacker his Premier League debut in January.
The England international ended 2018/19 having made 10 top-flight appearances, but he looks set to become a much more important first-team player under Frank Lampard.
The former Derby boss has already made fellow youth team graduates Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori and Tammy Abraham key men at Stamford Bridge.
And after making his first Premier League start of the season in Sunday’s 4-1 victory over Southampton, Hudson-Odoi is convinced that Chelsea is the right place for him to be at this stage of his career.
"The club have done so much for me and I'm so thankful for that," he told BBC Sport.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
"The decision that I made was a very good one for me and my family. We all thought that it was the right club to be at.
"I've been here all my life, so there's no need to change yet. My mum and dad are happy where they are and I'm happy where I am."
Hudson-Odoi played 80 minutes of Chelsea’s win against Southampton, having now recovered from an Achilles injury he picked up in April.
And the 18-year-old reflected on his time on the sidelines and praised the atmosphere within the squad under Lampard.
"It's been a very long time that I've been out. It's been a crazy journey to come back," he added.
"We've done really well," said Hudson-Odoi. "We had a slow start but picked up really well.
"The camp is more buzzing because we have an ex-player back as manager. It's a great feeling for us. We're all enjoying our football at the moment, happy and smiling. It's a great vibe around the camp, everyone wants to be there."
Sunday’s victory at St Mary’s moved Chelsea into fifth place in the Premier League table.
READ MORE
Pochettino's pressure: why it's likely to get worse for Tottenham before it gets better
Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).
‘Ruben Amorim could have waited for Real Madrid and had a better chance to be successful – to have joined Manchester United, he must be convinced in his own ability’ Former Old Trafford coach’s verdict on new boss
‘After Manchester City’s recent form, maybe they’re the underdogs against Manchester United!’ Former Red Devils defender on this weekend’s derby