Callum Hudson-Odoi is eager to become ‘the player every team fears’ while playing as a wing-back under Thomas Tuchel.
The 20-year-old has made 25 appearances across all competitions this season, but believes he can contribute more to Chelsea’s 2020-2021 campaign.
Hudson-Odoi is looking to replicate a youth team record that saw him score 31 goals in 55 starts across various age groups.
Hudson-Odoi told Chelsea’s official website: “In the academy days, when you’re seeing numbers like that you’re like ‘wow’ and you want to try and replicate that in the first team as well but it’s obviously a much tougher league and it’s hard to get goals.
“You want to be that player who every team fears and where you have a target to get a goal or an assist for the team in every match you play, to help the team as much as possible because that contributes at the end of the game. You scoring or assisting helps the team win so I look at it like that.
“If I can get a goal one game and then maybe the next game I get an assist and the next game a goal again, it’s helpful for all aspects. I want to be one of those players that you know is regularly on the scoresheet.’
Hudson-Odoi – who started just three league matches this season under previous manager Frank Lampard – has scored 13 times in 86 appearances and registered 15 assists for Chelsea.
However, Tuchel’s 3-4-3 formation has allowed the 20-year-old to play to his strengths and utilise his natural pace and ability to beat defenders in one-on-one situations.
As a result, Hudson-Odoi believes he can provide Chelsea with more ‘back post tap ins’, ‘cutbacks inside the box’ and ‘crucial passes’ throughout the rest of the season.
The Englishman said: ‘I feel especially playing as a wing-back or in a winger’s position, you want to be getting to the back post and getting those tap-ins.
“Every goal counts at the end of the day so no matter what it is, you want to be getting on the scoresheet or getting assists and helping the team as much as possible.
“I’ve said to myself that whenever I’m around the box, I want to be more clinical and more ruthless, take my chances when they come and hopefully hit the back of the net more often. The tap-ins are the best ones to get at the back post on the blindside of the defender.
“I haven’t set a specific target for myself but I just try to score as many as possible. It’s good to know we’ve got the players around who are capable of getting the ball into the back post as well for those tap-ins or finding cutbacks or playing crucial passes to get you in on goal.
“I’ve just got to make sure I keep getting in those positions to try and get a shot away and hopefully that goes in the back of the net.’
