Why I Left Chelsea For Nottingham Forest – Hudson-Odoi 

Callum Hudson-Odoi opened up on finally leaving Chelsea permanently to join Nottingham Forest in the summer.

Hudson-Odoi began his professional career at Stamford Bridge in 2018, but after struggling to establish himself as a regular in their starting lineup, the England international was loaned out to Bayer Leverkusen last year. This summer, he finally left Chelsea after completing a permanent transfer to Nottingham Forest on the deadline day.

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The midfielder has now explained how getting a call from his old England U17 coach Steve Cooper inspired him to reconnect with the Forest manager.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Hudson-Odoi said, “Chelsea has been my home for a very long time and knowing it was time to go was emotional. It was difficult, we had conversations but I thought it was best if I leave. It was a mutual agreement, but I’d say it was more my decision. 

“Forest is the right place for me to excel in my football, and do more than I probably could at Chelsea. I want to be playing as much as possible.

“There were a lot of different places I could have ended up at, but once ‘Coops’ made the call my head was straight here. He definitely brought the best out of me with England. The big thing about him is how he understands players, on and off the pitch. He’s always making sure that you’re mentally right and comfortable, and free in what you do,” he added.

When asked what Cooper told him over the call, Hudson-Odoi said, “Don’t be boring! He’s been saying it to me for as long as I can remember. ‘Take risks, don’t let anything hold you back and be yourself. Create problems every time you’re on the ball.’ You want to have that freedom to do your stuff, whether it’s scoring or creating goals for the team. That’s what I want, to excite the crowd.”

The 22-year-old winger, who has only made one Carabao Cup appearance for Cooper’s team since making the switch, is most likely to see action on Monday when Forest takes on newly promoted Burnley.