Callum Hudson-Odoi says potentially leaving Chelsea for Bayern Munich was on his mind last season.
The winger was linked heavily with a move to the German champions as he struggled for regular football at Chelsea last term.
H0wever, under Frank Lampard he has been a lot more involved in Chelsea’s Premier League matches, appearing in 13 this term and contributing three assists.
“I was talking about it with the family and thinking, ‘I just want to play games,’ and at that moment I wasn’t playing enough,” Hudson-Odoi told The Sun on Bayern interest.
“I wouldn’t say I was close to leaving but it was on my mind. What happened in January happened. But I signed my contract and I’m happy here now — everything is going well.
“It’s been a rollercoaster year. A lot of things have happened which made me learn and think about stuff. I just needed to get back, be confident, be myself, score, assist — and show what I can do.”
A serious Achilles injury and the talk of leaving Stamford Bridge has given the 19-year-old experiences beyond his years and the winger says he is “fortunate” to be able to learn from those events.
“I’d say I’m grateful — I feel fortunate with what has happened,” added Hudson-Odoi.
“The injury is an experience that you learn from because I didn’t know about these things before.
“It happened to me for the first time. And the transfer request taught me about that kind of situation.
“The England thing, the Champions League debut, and a change of manager has taught me a lot. So I would say ‘experienced’ is the word.
“I’m much more mature now, it’s made me wiser. It makes me think everything has happened for a reason — so I should be grateful and give thanks to God.
“There are times when I sit back and think to myself what a crazy 12 months it has been. Good or bad, everything happens for a reason. So you have always got to be grateful.”
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