Callum Hudson-Odoi is one of the best young talents in England. (Getty Images)
According to Italian outlet Calciomercato (h/t Express), Jurgen Klopp wants Liverpool to sign Chelsea attacker, Callum Hudson-Odoi. The Reds were believed to have shown interest in the summer and held talks with his agent two and half years ago when Bayern Munich failed in their pursuit of the Englishman. If you are one of those punters, Betpicks in Canada is the best place to you can find your free picks and expert predictions so that you can make informed decisions about your bets. A bet on Hudson-Odoi to make a loan move and succeed wouldn’t be a bad idea.
The youngster has spent his entire professional career at Chelsea. He impressed at the U18 and U23 levels and entered the first-team fray quite early, with a first-team debut coming in January 2018 in an FA Cup tie. Since then, he has struggled for minutes, but is he a player that Jurgen Klopp needs at Anfield right now?
Simply speaking, the Reds have an acute shortage of attacking options beyond their current starters. Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are the club’s trusted starters down the flanks while Roberto Firmino is the number 9. Diogo Jota was signed from Wolves to provide competition to all three of them, and he has done his job well.
But their shortage of attacking options has been visible. Mane and Salah have played the full 90 minutes in all their opening five league games. While this shows their dependability, it also indicates a lack of competition for those spots. A fresh set of legs, especially on the wings, late on in the game is also a valuable tactic that should not be underestimated.
Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi have clearly not impressed Jurgen Klopp. The Japanese forward was loaned to Southampton for the second half of last season while the Belgian striker was heavily linked with a summer exit after playing just 181 minutes of league football last season for the Reds.
It is clear that this is an area that Klopp can address. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Curtis Jones are two players that started their careers out on the flank but have well and truly become central midfielders now. In this aspect, signing Hudson-Odoi would be bringing in a natural winger who can man the wings in Mane and Salah’s absence.
Given his talent, the youngster can even start competing for starts already. With Mane and Salah both turning 30 next year, the Englishman can also be a successor to either one of them- if the Reds end up signing him. At 21, Hudson-Odoi is yet to peak and the Reds should look to ensure that he dons Liverpool red when he’s strutting his best stuff on the field.
The player is also not seeing time at Chelsea at all. Since Tuchel joined Chelsea, Hudson-Odoi has started just 8 league games, and hasn’t completed the full 90 minutes in any of them. While playing time isn’t mentioned as deciding factor, Hudson-Odoi could get an opportunity for playing time under Klopp and reclaim his place in the England national team- granted if he doesn’t switch allegiances for Ghana.
