Everton are interested in bolstering their attacking ranks with a struggling star following news of Demarai Gray's supposed departure to Saudi Arabia this month.
What's the latest on Callum Hudson-Odoi to Everton?
According to the Evening Standard, Sean Dyche's Everton could make a swoop for Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi after Fulham's reluctance to meet the £8m transfer fee, with fellow top-flight rivals Nottingham Forest also interested.
Sky Sports report Dharmesh Sheth has since corroborated such claims by stating that the Cottagers' negotiations have indeed stalled, paving the way for the Toffees to hijack the deal.
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Everton have bolstered the attacking ranks with a wealth of acquisitions this summer, but yielding no points and no goals from their first two Premier League matches, it's understandable that Dyche seeks further firepower.
How good is Callum Hudson-Odoi?
Hudson-Odoi had the world at his feet.
The fleet-footed wideman had burst onto the scene at Stamford Bridge, hailed as "brilliant" and "the big one" by pundit Darren Bent after a scintillating performance against West Bromwich Albion back in 2020, but the three-cap England international has hit his nadir after a heavy fall from grace.
He was even the subject of £70m transfer attention from Bayern Munich in 2020, though Chelsea rejected the German Bundesliga champions' advances and now look to offload their struggling star for a paltry £8m.
The talent is unequivocal, however, and there is a reason that Hudson-Odoi was earning such lucrative attention in the formative phase of his career, described as "amazingly talented" by scout Jacek Kulig.
Despite an inauspicious loan spell with Bayer Leverkusen last season, where the ace posted just one goal and one assist from 21 outings, starting 13 times, the Cobham graduate boasts a wealth of qualities that could arrest the awe of the Everton masses once provided with a platform to truly grow into his skin.
As per FBref, Hudson-Odoi ranks among the top 10% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 18% for progressive passes and the top 15% for progressive carries per 90.
Effectively, this highlights both the crispness of his ball-playing skills and his aptitude as a box-crashing vessel, and while the fluidity in decisive moments has faded, he could yet restore his impetus.
It could be an especially prudent move to make given the likely departure of Gray at Everton, with the 27-year-old poised for a move to Saudi club Al Shabab after the Toffees reached an agreement on a fee, though first will look to secure a replacement.
Enter Hudson-Odoi.
The £180k-per-week gem – who the Evening Standard claim will take a 'significant' pay cut to get his career back on track – can play across both flanks and actually trumps his Jamaican counterpart in several key elements.
Indeed, Gray ranks among the bottom 22% of attacking midfielders and wingers for progressive passes, the bottom 1% for progressive passes, the bottom 23% for successful take-ons and the top 37% for progressive carries per 90.
The £25k-per-week attacker did manage to score six goals from 36 matches across all competitions last term, but his overall game does not cut the mustard considering the sustenance of Everton as a top-flight outfit.
Hudson Odoi – roughly five years younger – has had a tough time of late and is leagues below the expectation when this prodigious bundle of talent announced himself at Stamford Bridge several years ago, but he has maintained some of the core qualities requisite for success and Dyche would do well to discard Gray and provide the Chelsea star with the opportunity to tap into his potential on Merseyside.
