Callum Hudson-Odoi will stay at Chelsea, says Willian
Brazilian believes youngster can become one of the best in the world
Monday 28 January 2019 15:57, UK
Callum Hudson-Odoi is "going nowhere" and can become "one of the best players in the world" according to Chelsea team-mate Willian.
There has been intense transfer speculation the 18-year-old is set to depart Stamford Bridge this month with Bayern Munich making an offer of £35m for his services.
It is the fourth bid from the Bundesliga giants with Hudson-Odoi also handing in a transfer request before scoring in Chelsea's comfortable 3-0 FA Cup victory over Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday afternoon.
However, Willian, speaking exclusively to Sky Sports, is adamant Hudson-Odoi's future remains at Stamford Bridge amid frustrations over playing time.
"He's going nowhere - he's a special talent, a very good player and is staying with us," said Willian.
"Of course he is only 18 but he can improve a lot and in the future can become one of the best players in the world.
"It's difficult not to think about Bayern Munich because they are a great team as well but for me, his future is here.
"He has to stay because he knows the club, and I am sure he will play more."
Willian also spoke about Olivier Giroud's future following the loan signing of Gonzalo Higuain with Chelsea having a permanent deal in place with Napoli for the player in the summer.
With Chelsea set to face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final next month, still in the FA Cup and Europa League, the Brazilian believes Giroud is a key member of the squad.
He said: "We want to win titles and we have opportunities to do that, we can still win the Premier League as well.
"In football, you never know what can happen, even the teams who are there can lose one or two games.
"Giroud is a very important player for us - it is difficult for the manager to think about all the players because only 11 players can play.
"But we have a lot of games and the same 11 players cannot play every game so we do need to change and rest some players."
On the arrival of Higuain, Willian went on to explain the Argentine rejected his offer to take a penalty in the win over Wednesday but believes he has a bright future with the Blues.
"I just wanted to give him the opportunity to score his first goal - maybe he wanted to score a beautiful goal instead!
"But I think he can do the same as he did at Napoli, Juventus and Madrid - score a lot of goals with his intelligent movement. He is a quality player."
One player who is definitely leaving Stamford Bridge though is Alvaro Morata, who has completed an 18-month loan move to Atletico Madrid.
"It's difficult, sometimes you have to move in football to get a chance and I wish him all the best and hope he continues to play his game and score goals there," Willian added.
