It was liberating. Hudson-Odoi’s final months at Chelsea were difficult. The days of him being the club’s shining young hope were over. Hudson-Odoi had no choice but to end his 16-year association with Chelsea when he returned from his loan spell at Bayer Leverkusen last summer.
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The 23-year-old is not bitter about his boyhood club. Hudson-Odoi, who is feeling fitter and sharper after a run of games at Forest, has fond memories of his time at Chelsea. He was the academy’s golden boy, the teenage talent who caused so much excitement when he linked up with Eden Hazard after breaking into the first team under Maurizio Sarri in 2019, and collected his fair share of medals. He was on the bench when Chelsea won the Champions League final in 2021 and scored a goal after starting in the Club World Cup final against Palmeiras the following year.
This wasn’t a case of an overhyped talent falling short. Bayern Munich made several bids for Hudson-Odoi and Chelsea secured him a lucrative deal. But one setback would change everything. Hudson-Odoi was out for six months after rupturing an Achilles tendon in April 2019. He had made his England debut a month earlier.
“Because of the injury, people don’t realize how difficult it is to regain the same fitness, speed and sharpness,” says Hudson-Odoi. “It requires a lot of muscle strength from your calf and other parts of your body. You don’t feel the same. I don’t think you ever will. I did everything I could every day to make sure I came back injury-free. But problems happen, things happen.
Hudson-Odoi, who joined Forest for a reduced fee of £3 million, was unable to build momentum after returning from injury. He was in and out under Frank Lampard. Thomas Tuchel – “a good manager and person,” says Hudson-Odoi – brought him on and off in one game. Outsiders doubted Hudson-Odoi’s wishes.
“I listen to my family and my friends, but I don’t like to listen to the outside noise,” he says. “You hear what people say, but it’s not really true. If you know what we experience every day, you know what I do to ensure that I perform at my best. Then you don’t have the same perspective. People wouldn’t say the things they say.
“But it’s part of football. Everyone has their own stories. But I would say it’s unfair. It’s the perception you don’t want to give people that you’re the person who doesn’t have the desire or determination. I’ve always had it. I have always loved football and always will. I just have to keep doing that and stay fit. Hopefully the actions will speak on the pitch.”
Hudson-Odoi is considering breaking through from Chelsea’s youth academy. “It’s not just your talent or skills on the pitch that will get you playing for the first team,” he says. “It’s your hard work or desire off the field. It’s the things you do, like extra gym work, to make sure you’re completely fit and ready.
“Once I went through the academy they worked really well with me and that got me into the first team. But you can’t do that without the hunger and passion to want to play in the first team and make sure you play with the best players in the world. I’ve always had that hunger. I’m still motivated to achieve more, win more games, score more goals, get more assists and help the team.”
Hudson-Odoi says the injury was “mentally exhausting”. Every step forward was followed by a setback. He played regularly for Tuchel’s Chelsea at the beginning of 2022, but a strange injury ended his season prematurely. “I was playing, scoring and assisting, and then something like this happens,” says Hudson-Odoi. “It was one of those injuries where it was a neurological problem and I thought, ‘What the hell is going on?’”
Hudson-Odoi drifted to the margins. He left London, was loaned to Leverkusen and enjoyed playing for Xabi Alonso. But he needed something fixed. Forest, then managed by Steve Cooper, appealed. Hudson-Odoi played for Cooper when England won the Under-17 World Cup. “I have always had a good relationship with Coops,” says Hudson-Odoi. “He’s a great manager, a great guy and he’s sad it didn’t work out.”
Forest, who replaced Cooper with Nuno Espírito Santo in December, are in relegation problems. They are three points above 18th-placed Luton before visiting on Saturday afternoon and have one league win in 2024. “We are trying to attack and score more goals,” Hudson-Odoi said. “Nuno believes in everyone. We play well, we create chances, we defend well. It’s just being more focused in every game and making sure we get the points.”
Hudson-Odoi, who remains eligible for England and Ghana, says Forest’s players are not considering the possibility of the club being awarded points for breaching the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules. He focuses on himself. He is a tricky, fast and skilled winger who can play on either flank. He has scored four goals in 19 league games and is looking better physically. He is happier in his body and drives as a wing defender again.
“I’m at the point where I feel good and sharp,” says Hudson-Odoi. “I’ve done all the things I used to do. The injury has not taken anything away from me. It was more of a series of matches. It’s a good feeling every day during training. Many people around me have helped me to take me to the maximum level.
“When you reach the 80th minute you have that extra push, that second wind, because you feel sharper. You feel that you can keep pushing. I feel better every match. I hope things get better too.
“I have experienced so much during my time in football. You look back and think that so much more is going to happen. I’m only 23. I can achieve so many great things. Everything is focused on football and making sure I get the best out of myself.”
Hudson-Odoi reflects on his influences. “My mother, my father, my brother, my sister. I started playing football when I was two years old. I was playing in the park with my brother and father. Even things like that give me inspiration. I look back and think that even when I was two I knew I wanted to play football. Those are my sources of inspiration. I look at it every day and think, ‘You guys worked so hard and helped me so much, it’s a good thing I can do what I can to pay you all back.’
