Callum Hudson-Odoi left Chelsea after 16 years to join Nottingham Forest on Deadline Day; The 22-year-old has lofty ambitions at his new club; Watch Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League from 5pm; Kick-off 5.30pm
Wednesday 4 October 2023 10:52, UK
Callum Hudson-Odoi has challenged himself to score 10 Premier League goals and provide 10 assists this season, to prove he is back to the standards he set as a teenager for Chelsea and England.
The last 12 months have seen the 22-year-old play for three different clubs, in two different countries.
But in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News, where the winger allowed senior reporter Rob Dorsett to join him as he went house-hunting, Hudson-Odoi says he already feels completely at home in Nottingham and is "beyond determined" to remind fans what he is capable of.
"Ooh, this is nice!" coos Hudson-Odoi, as he is shown around the luxurious master bedroom suite of what could be his new Nottingham home.
The huge dressing room of the brand-new, five-bedroom house has enough storage space for up to 50 sets of shoes but that's not enough for the new Forest recruit.
"I do maybe have hundreds of trainers!" he says with a laugh. "Wait, it's OK. There are more shoe racks behind the door. We are good!"
The 22-year-old is desperate to find a home. Both literally and figuratively.
"I spent three weeks in a hotel," he says. "It's not easy to relax when there are people watching you coming and going all the time. So, I've been looking for somewhere to call home."
Forest have sorted a nice house for him, just 15 minutes from the training ground, as a temporary measure until he gets his own place. But for Hudson-Odoi, he wants something more permanent. He wants stability.
After spending 16 years at Chelsea, since the age of six, and a season on-loan at Bayer Leverkusen, he says it has been a difficult re-adjustment to move on.
Despite his tender age, he played 126 times for Chelsea.
"It was very tough," he admits. "Chelsea will always be in my heart, no matter what. They gave me the platform to start, it's where I called home, I was there for 16 years of my life. They gave me the opportunity to play in the first team and youth cups, they gave me everything.
"It was emotional knowing it was time for me to go, but there was also excitement - a new chapter, a new start.
"It was weird at times, sitting at home, thinking about it. I lived 15 minutes from the (Chelsea) training ground, and I was sitting there thinking, 'I'm going somewhere where I know no one'. It was a bit surreal.
"But now I am here at Forest, I will give everything to this club."
Hudson-Odoi announced himself to the Forest fans in spectacular fashion, scoring a superb goal on his debut, to earn a point against Burnley. He admits that is the best goal he has ever scored in his career. So, how did he feel at the time?
"It was relief. It's my job as a winger to create and assist. But I need to score more. My mentality this year has changed completely.
"In previous years, I maybe played it safe, played nice football, and I thought this year I have to score more goals, get more assists, be more of a problem than you used to be.
"When the goal went in, it was like - phew! Shoulders down, relax, and seeing my family up there (in the stands) it was special."
Hudson-Odoi admits he is his own worst critic and is probably too hard on himself. He has set himself the target of scoring 10 Premier League goals, and adding 10 assists, for Forest this season. And he expects the team to finish in the Premier League top 10 too.
"I think the motivation now, the confidence in the squad, is to get points in every game. It's a big ask, yes, from last year, but I think everyone's mindset is that we don't want to be in that predicament again."
The powerful winger burst onto the scene in spectacular fashion in 2018. Aged just 18 years and 22 days, he became Chelsea's youngest-ever European goalscorer.
Until Jude Bellingham stole his crown, he was the youngest player to make his competitive debut for England, aged 18 years and 135 days. He was on the bench for Chelsea's 2021 Champions League final triumph. They were heady days.
But since then, the last few years have been tough. He tore his Achilles against Burnley on Easter Sunday in 2019 and was out for five months.
After returning to fitness, and with so many changes to the Chelsea management, he struggled to win a regular first-team place. He went on loan to Bayer Leverkusen last season, before finally cutting ties with Chelsea.
He admits it has been tough not feeling at home anywhere which is why he is determined to be a success and re-ignite his career by the River Trent.
"The Chelsea situation, the loan, now Forest - all in 12 months. I've had to mature very quickly, responsibility comes with this. Sometimes you might be down, that's normal. But I've learned you have to be yourself, be strong and cope with whatever comes your way.
"I feel like I'm starting to feel at home in Nottingham now. I know my way around the city. The roads are quiet, there's no traffic! London, it's so busy."
For the first time, Hudson-Odoi has opened up about a very personal tragedy, too. Whilst on loan at Leverkusen, his uncle unexpectedly died. The two were very close.
"I've never talked about it, but when things like that happen, someone so close to you...This person came to all my games, took me to my first England camp, and now he's not here anymore. That has to make you stronger to know you're doing things for a reason, to make yourself and your family proud. You have to be strong.
"He died, and then you might have a game two days later, so you have to be mentally strong. I was in Germany when this happened. I got the call, and I was like what? He literally left the hospital, and then the next day, he passed away.
"It's good that I've experienced so much so young, it's helped me mature quicker. The number of games I've had. It's nice to know I have good people around me who keep you grounded and humble.
"You've had so much so young, but you've still got so much still to do. Make the most out of it, don't waste a day of it. I'm beyond motivated now."
Bayern Munich saw a bid in excess of £40m rejected for Hudson-Odoi, just three years ago. He cost Forest just £5m on Deadline Day.
If Steve Cooper can get him playing near the levels he achieved as a teenager when the pair won the U17s World Cup together, Hudson-Odoi could prove to be one of the bargains of the season.
Watch Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League from 5pm; Kick-off 5.30pm
