Mauricio Pochettino has been dealt a substantial curveball which could have a major effect on Chelsea's summer transfer window endeavours. The Blues appear to be in the market for a goalkeeper, midfielder and a striker as the former Tottenham boss hopes to get off to a flying start at Stamford Bridge.
One position which Chelsea aren't necessarily expected to reinforce is the left-wing after wrapping up an eye-watering deal for Mykhailo Mudryk in January. The 22-year-old winger was first linked with a move to Arsenal, only for the Blues to swoop in and hijack negotiations at the eleventh hour.
Initial talks between the Gunners and Shakhtar Donetsk were thought to have progressed well before a bid was submitted. Arsenal remained in contact with the Ukrainian side and, at one stage, they were even confident that they would win the race for his signature.
But, Chelsea matched the north Londoners' offer – which was later revealed to have simply been structured better. While Mudryk is yet to score his first goal, he's only ever completed 90 minutes in the Premier League once.
Starting just six games and being brought off the bench in eight, the Ukraine international was not given a run of games to properly get his feet under the table. But, with Pochettino in the dugout, Mudryk is expected to finally grow into his role as a talisman.
However, a spanner has been thrown into the works and the Argentine boss has a decision to make regarding the future of Callum Hudson-Odoi. The 22-year-old winger will return to Cobham training ground for pre-season following an relatively unconvincing loan spell at Bayer Leverkusen.
Despite having not impressed in the Bundesliga, Hudson-Odoi's underlying statistics offer lots of food for thought. In a graphic created by @ChicagoDmitry and @mclachbot on Twitter using FBref information, the Cobham graduate's 2021 campaign was compared to Mudryk's 2023 season.
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While the Ukrainian proved to be a far superior ball-carrier, Hudson-Odoi created far more open play shots, recorded more assists and enjoyed a better passing completion rate. As aforementioned, the statistics (below) concerning Hudson-Odoi are taken from in 2021 which leaves Pochettino with a dilemma.
The Argentine must now decide whether or not to try and reignite the Englishman's best form. Hudson-Odoi has always showed great promise so, by deputising Mudryk next season, he could enjoy a pressure-free role which allows him to find his feet again.
