'Chelsea gave me a massive pay rise but I had to get out - I needed to enjoy myself again'

Callum Hudson-Odoi was once Chelsea's brightest talent but after injury and a lack of consistency, he departed his boyhood club for Nottingham Forest where he's since flourished

Despite bagging a mammoth contract with Chelsea at 19 years old, Callum Hudson-Odoi realised he had to leave the club of his dreams to reignite his footballing career.

The former England international joined his boyhood club at seven years old in 2007 before making his first-team debut 11 years later in 2018 under Antonio Conte.

Hudson-Odoi impressed so heavily with his performances that the then-teenager attracted intense interest from Bayern Munich who made multiple bids for the winger after he handed in a transfer request in January 2019.

His lengthy contract negotiations with Chelsea saw Hudson-Odoi sign a new five-year contract the following season that would see him reportedly earn up to £180,000-a-week.

However, months before his new deal, the winger would suffer a devastating Achilles injury that ruled him out for six months. Later admitting how difficult it was to regain the same levels of speed and sharpness post-injury, Hudson-Odoi struggled to stake a claim in the Chelsea team for the remaining years he spent at Stamford Bridge.

Deciding to seek pastures new, he joined Nottingham Forest last year for a mere a £3million, a far cry from the £35m Bayern had offered for his services four years prior.

Speaking to Mail Sport, the Champions League winner admitted an exit from his boyhood club was crucial in him regaining his enjoyment for football again.

"I got the opportunities at Chelsea and played a lot of games," he said. "But I got to the point where I had to look at it and realize it had been nice, but it was time to go. It was a big decision but the right one.

"You have to recognize when it is the right time to move on. And that was my time. A case of needing to get out of there — not in a bad way — but to go and find my football again and enjoy myself again."

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He scored a career-high eight Premier League goals last season for Forest and opened his account this campaign with a stunning winning goal against Liverpool at Anfield earlier this month.

With Nuno Espirito Santo currently leading the unbeaten Forest this season, they take on Chelsea on October 6 with Hudson-Odoi admitting he hopes to receive a warm reception at his former stomping grounds. "I hope they recognize and maybe applaud me or something," he said.

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