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Tom Coley

Callum Hudson-Odoi given Chelsea dilemma in January transfer window amid Graham Potter interest

Luckily for Graham Potter at Chelsea he already has he inside track on some of his new players. Given the speed at which he has been tasked with repairing a struggling side and the fact he now has to do so with an international break blocking preparation, any extra information available to him is valuable.

Not only does he have Marc Cucurella, who played a key tactical role in his first match against RB Salzburg, Potter also has knowledge of several more Chelsea players.

His Brighton side played against Chelsea twice in quick succession over the winter period last season, drawing both games 1-1 after going behind, and will have learnt a lot about the attitude, mentality and skill of the squad he has subsequently inherited.

READ MORE: Cucurella, Loftus-Cheek and the other Chelsea stars Graham Potter can work with in training

Although there will be differences in the team he is in charge of now and the one he played against nearly nine months ago, it is helpful to be in close contact with those that he now has to get the best out of. There are more players that he knows well from this summer though.

Other than Billy Gilmour, who left Chelsea to join Brighton on a permanent transfer worth £9million, Levi Colwill also got to work with Potter, albeit it briefly, on the south coast in the early stages of his loan. Neither of these players will be able to play under Potter again this season - the irony for Gilmour being the role that Potter and his style of football and development will have played in his move - but there is someone else with a relationship with Potter that could be used later on.

As opposed to Gilmour, who didn't want to go on loan again, Callum Hudson-Odoi chose to take the temporary route despite initially wanting a permanent move or an option to buy included in any deal. The 21-year-old, who is just starting out on his season-long loan at Bayern Leverkusen, has said of Boehly: "It's definitely different. When a club is trying to get a player [on loan], they always want that option to buy at the end of the season. Todd was saying: 'Listen, we want you back here.'

"You're still on the radar of being wanted by the club. The way he's trying to set it up, there are a lot of young players he's trying to buy for the next few years. It shows he wants to integrate the players into the team and help them develop."

Now, with Potter in charge, a man who wanted to sign Hudson-Odoi at Brighton this summer, the option for him to return this season is a real possibility. Bild of Germany are reporting that Chelsea will seriously consider recalling the winger in January if Potter sees a place for him in his side this season.

Considering the move would be cutting short his run of first-team football it would be a brave move for Potter and one that would immediately impact his relationship with Hudson-Odoi. He left Chelsea in search of consistent game time to prove what level he is at and where he can still get to, with an assist to show in his first five matches in Germany, alongside some nice moments in the Champions League already, it has been a promising start for the Englishman.

Potter, who is known for developing players and favouring young stars, would be running a risk of disappointing Hudson-Odoi but on the other side he could offer him an immediate chance to impress at Chelsea.

READ NEXT:

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Chelsea news and transfers LIVE: All the latest news, rumours and gossip from Stamford Bridge

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