Chelsea Manager Maurizio Sarri on Callum Hudson-Odoi: 'He Is off the Market'

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has ruled out the possibility of Callum Hudson-Odoi leaving Stamford Bridge in the January transfer window despite ongoing links to Bayern Munich.

The Italian also said 18-year-old Hudson-Odoi may not be allowed to leave in the summer either despite handing in a transfer request in an attempt to force a move to Bayern, per Stephen Darwin of Goal:

"I am not frustrated [with Hudson-Odoi]. On the pitch, he's doing very well: very well in training, very well in matches. So I'm really very happy with him.

"I'm not happy with the situation, of course, but I know very well that every big team here in England has the same problem. It's not easy to keep these young players. He is, of course, one of the best 18-year-olds in Europe, so it's very difficult.

"But, as I said before, the club told me he is off the market, for sure. And, probably, he will be off the market in July, too. I don't know [if he'll be happy with that], but I can say what I see on the pitch. On the pitch at the moment, he's fantastic."

Hudson-Odoi has been at Chelsea since 2007 and made his senior debut under manager Antonio Conte early last year.

The Englishman is a supremely talented winger, but he has been afforded only 61 minutes of Premier League action in 2018-19 under Sarri.

A move to Bayern and the potential for more regular game time was likely attractive to the teenager. But after rejecting a £35 million bid from the German giants, it is now clear Chelsea are not going to let him go.

Hudson-Odoi's current Blues contract only runs to June 2020, so Chelsea are taking a risk by turning down a fee for him that may not be offered again:

They are likely banking on their ability to persuade him to commit to a longer contract at Stamford Bridge.

For that to happen, Hudson-Odoi will have to be guaranteed more game time and given more minutes in the second half of 2018-19.

Sarri has given him starts recently in cup competitions, and he has excelled. But the best way to convince Hudson-Odoi that the club have real faith in him is to play him in the Premier League as Chelsea look to maintain their spot in the top four.

If Sarri continues to attempt to placate him by simply starting him in cup matches, there is little doubt Hudson-Odoi will again agitate for a departure when the summer arrives.