Maurizio Sarri Talks Callum Hudson-Odoi's Bournemouth Absence Amid Exit Rumours

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has defended his decision to leave Callum Hudson-Odoi out of the squad for Wednesday's loss to Bournemouth in the Premier League amid continued speculation regarding the winger's future.

The Blues were hammered 4-0 at the Vitality Stadium in the low point of Sarri's tenure so far. Eden Hazard and Pedro started in the wide positions, with Willian introduced in the second half as Chelsea sought to find a way back into the game.

Despite netting against Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup on Sunday, Hudson-Odoi was not among the 18, and his absence will only fuel speculation linking him with a move to Bayern Munich. Sarri explained his thinking after the game, per Kieran Francis of Goal.

"He was with us; he played three days ago," the Italian said. "There was Willian [available as well], so I had only one winger on the bench. We have four wingers, one had to be in the stands."

Per David Hytner of the Guardian, the 18-year-old Hudson-Odoi had a transfer request rejected by Chelsea on Monday and the Blues have turned down an offer of £35 million for the England youth international from Bayern.

As mentioned, the youngster showed what he is capable of with this fine goal in the FA Cup:

Journalist Seb Stafford-Bloor suggested there was more to the decision to bring Hudson-Odoi to the game but not select him:

The Blues would have benefitted from some sort of inspiration against the Cherries on Wednesday, as they fell short in so many areas in a lopsided second half.

The result will heap more pressure on Sarri in what has been an inconsistent campaign for the club. Afterwards, the former Napoli boss told reporters he has concerns about whether he can motivate this group of players.

"Maybe it's my fault because maybe I'm not able to motivate this group and these players," he said, per Sky Sports. "I don't know why. But I need to understand and we need to understand very soon because we have to play in three days."

Podcaster Alex Goldberg thinks the inclusion of some younger players in the setup may help ignite something in this Chelsea team:

While the loss saw the Blues drop behind Arsenal on goal difference and out of the top four, the manner of the capitulation will concern Sarri more. It's been a long time since the club were on the end of this type of trouncing:

Hudson-Odoi's future has become a big problem for Chelsea in this transfer window. The player is seemingly desperate to play and keen to move, and while Blues supporters want to see more of him, the manager clearly doesn't feel he's ready to be starting regularly.

Should the young winger stay at the club, he will surely have a role to play in 2019, with Chelsea still in contention for three trophies and in a fight for a top-four berth. Even so, with his contract set to expire in 2020, the summer will likely trigger a new wave of rumours.