Hudson-Odoi inspires fellow England starlet Nelson

The stellar rise of Callum Hudson-Odoi at Chelsea has inspired fellow England starlet Reiss Nelson, with the Arsenal youngster saying he aims to reach the same heights.

Hudson-Odoi has made significant strides to establish himself in the senior squad of Chelsea this season, having already made 16 appearances in all competitions. While he is yet to start a Premier League match under Maurizio Sarri, he has performed admirably in the club’s Europa League exploits. In Europe’s second-tier club competition, the Wandsworth native has contributed four goals in the west London side’s quest to win the tournament. They are set to face Slavia Praha in the quarter-finals.

This comes while the 18-year-old’s long-term future at Stamford Bridge remains shrouded in doubt. Bayern Munich came in strongly for the Chelsea forward in the January transfer window, while Hudson-Odoi handed in a transfer request himself in a bid to force his way out of the west London side. A fresh five-year contract offered to him by the club is yet to be signed, pending assurances over more opportunities in the senior squad.

Despite that, however, the youngster continues to impress on the pitch, leading to his maiden call-up in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for last week’s Euro 2020 qualification matches against the Czech Republic and Montenegro.

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His fellow England starlet Nelson, who is currently on a season-long loan at Bundesliga club Hoffenheim from Arsenal, has revealed his admiration for the talented Chelsea winger. Furthermore, the 19-year-old Nelson admits he is inspired by the 18-year-old Hudson-Odoi to reach the same level.

“I’ve played against him [Hudson-Odoi] in the youth league when he was at Chelsea,” said the England U21 international. “He’s my friend so you want to get there as well. It’s very inspiring, just wants to make you push even more, train even harder and get to that level.”

Featured image credit: James Boyes [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons