Callum Hudson-Odoi exclusive interview: Chelsea winger on Bayer Leverkusen loan move, injury issues and his future | Football News

For Callum Hudson-Odoi, his loan move to Bayer Leverkusen has always been about playing football and he knows his time in the Bundesliga will be judged. But there are more minutes in the day than minutes on the field.

This is the story of someone living abroad for the first time, someone leaving home for the first time. “Leaving London for the first time, experiencing another country, another culture, another environment,” Hudson-Odoi said. Sky Sports.

“When you come out here, it’s more true that you don’t know the country, the city. I’m in London every day, so I know the streets of London. I know where to go for dinner, I know where to go. to chill and relax and I know where to go to the movies.

“It’s like you have to be more responsible for yourself because you’re here alone, after coming from England to work and train every day. I think it’s good and a lesson for me to know about other places. I like it.”

He lives in Cologne, trying to take everything. “The other day I was walking and I saw a lock bridge.” More than 40,000 padlocks decorate the Hohenzollern Bridge in the city, so-called love locks that are placed there by couples symbolically establishing their relationship.

“I thought, ‘This is something new, I haven’t seen this in London.’ Just different sights, different foods and things, seeing different people, seeing different places.”

His time in Germany is expected to be more temporary, locked in only until the end of the season. The possibilities at Chelsea are limited. Dropped from the squad for the first Premier League game of the season, he felt compelled to seek opportunities elsewhere.

“It’s good for me to just go out and have fun and play football again as much as possible,” Hudson-Odoi explained.

“What everyone has told me about the project, it’s great. It’s a different place, a different country.”

He felt wanted.

“It’s a very friendly club, very nice. The staff, all the players, everyone around the place. They welcome you, they make sure you’re comfortable when you come in. It’s the first day I’ve been here.”

But it has not been so direct. A poor start to the season in which Leverkusen won just one of their first eight Bundesliga games left last season’s third-placed team in the relegation zone and left head coach Gerardo Seoane in the lurch.

Hudson-Odoi, now 22, has had to adjust to a new way of playing – a new way of training, even. “Training here is harder, so I go back home and sleep, sleep again at home to recover and rest,” he said, laughing. The game is also different.

“One second you can defend and suddenly you break through the goal. It’s very fast. It’s more of a counter-attacking way of playing compared to England, which is more defensive and compact and play. pass to get a pass to the goal.

“Here, the end is very fast. It’s good for fast players because if you’re fast, there’s always a chance to pass and be one-on-one, assist a goal or whatever. That’s a high line with space to open. That’s the difference.”

Why not lose the deep defense he faced at Chelsea?

“It’s frustrating sometimes when you try to get the ball and drive and have space to run, they’re always deep. I think it’s more fun here because you have the freedom to have space on the ball and try. to drive and create problems.”

Hudson-Odoi driving through the defense can be one of the more exciting sights in football. In 2019, at the age of 18, he became the youngest man to debut for England in an international competition, breaking the record set by Duncan Edwards in 1955. Bayern Munich wanted him.

But an Achilles injury the following month had serious consequences – consequences that continue to be felt. “The accident happened many years ago, but I still feel that there are still things that are terrible and sometimes give me problems,” he said.

“It had a big effect on me. Even other parts of the body. For example, you try to balance your legs so you use other parts of the body so you don’t use your Achilles.

“Then you start picking up other niggles elsewhere.

“Injury is something that happened years ago, but it’s always in the back of your mind, regardless of what you do. I try not to think about it as much as possible. I just play football, the best I can. You just want to play football.”

He felt it happening again now. Encouraged by new head coach Xabi Alonso, he tried to influence the game more, to be more positive in possession, to return to the game that made him special. “The last couple of seasons I haven’t been straight,” he said.

“So I think I can be more direct on the ball, try to create more problems for the defense. This season, I have the feeling that I can go back to feeling sharp and causing problems, taking people, trying to create chances. trying to get goals and assists.”

He talked about “getting my spirit back” and he had a moment in a Leverkusen shirt. A Champions League goal against Atletico Madrid in October helped lift Diego Simeone’s side on a dramatic night in the Spanish capital.

“It’s not just me scoring. It’s just how powerful this game is.” Atletico missed a penalty in stoppage time. “For them, they have to win. There was a ricochet and then it went over the bar. Everything went crazy. That was definitely the best moment I’ve been here.”

The Leverkusen fans have helped.

“I said before I even came that the fans here are crazy. I was watching the game and saw how the fans always jump. Every time I play here,” he said, glancing into the distance, “it’s always packed, everyone smiles and laughs. The fans are bubbly .”

Now, the goal is to finish strong. For the fans and ourselves.

Five successive Bundesliga victories under Alonso either side of Christmas helped. “We know that we started a bit badly and we know that we have to kick on to get back to a good position where we know we can.

And the target itself?

“Finish it the best I can and maximize it,” he added. “I want to come out here and get minutes on my feet and just enjoy football as much as possible. I think that has happened. Now it’s more focused on increasing the numbers with more assists and trying to create more chances for the team.

“I’m definitely excited about the future.”

Whether he can still be at Chelsea is unclear. He still has one year left on his contract and can only watch from afar as expensive signing after expensive signing at Stamford Bridge. “I haven’t spoken to him recently,” he said.

“I’m not there to see all these players go, there’s nothing I can say or do. At the end of the day, I’m focused on the club here and trying to help as much as possible here. Whatever happens in the future, I don’t know . I can only focus on what’s going on here.”

And stay positive.

“At the end of the day, you’ve got to stay positive. Keep smiling no matter what. It doesn’t matter if things are good or bad, you can’t stress about it. off the field as well.”

Watch Freiburg vs Bayer Leverkusen live on the Sky Sports App this Sunday; kick-off 2.30pm