Is Hudson-Odoi Playing Like Robben? Chelsea’s Academy Star Shines

Enzo Maresca quickly established his tactical approach at Chelsea, emphasizing a patient build-up play from defense, maintaining close player positioning, and aiming to dominate opponents in their own half.

Wingers are crucial in this system, enjoying considerable freedom to be direct and impactful.

Ideally, these wide players should be versatile, capable of moving inside and out, challenging full-backs in diverse ways throughout the match.

Maresca favors wingers who can consistently win one-on-one duels, deliver varied crosses into the box – including cutbacks and deep crosses – and pose a scoring threat by cutting inside for shots.

Chelsea might have already possessed the perfect player for this system back in 2004: Arjen Robben. The Dutch winger was adept at beating his marker down the flank but, more importantly, was incredibly dangerous cutting onto his left foot to shoot.

Arjen Robben’s Time at Chelsea: Key Stats

Chelsea signed Robben in 2004 from PSV Eindhoven for approximately £12 million.

During his Chelsea career, Robben played 106 matches, scoring 19 goals and providing 21 assists, accumulating 6,632 minutes on the pitch.

He developed a signature move: cutting in from the right wing to curl shots into the far left corner with his dominant left foot.

This move was evident at Chelsea early in his career and further refined at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, where he became one of the world’s top players.

Robben would have excelled in Maresca’s system, constantly facing full-backs in isolated positions with the freedom to be creative, varying his play between going to the byline and cutting inside.

Interestingly, Chelsea may have sold a player in 2023 who could have offered a similar two-way threat from the wing.

Could Chelsea Regret Selling Their Own Robben?

Chelsea sold Callum Hudson-Odoi to Nottingham Forest in the summer 2023/24 transfer window.

Nottingham Forest acquired the young winger for a mere £3 million, potentially rising to £5 million with add-ons. This deal might be a setback for Chelsea, as Hudson-Odoi’s performances have significantly improved since his departure. In 2025, the Cobham academy product is performing at his peak.

Since joining Nottingham Forest, Hudson-Odoi has played 61 games, scoring 13 goals and assisting 4, with seven goals in the 2024/25 season alone.

Although some per 90 stats are slightly lower due to playing in a team with less possession, his efficiency has increased, evidenced by a goals-per-shot ratio of 0.14.

The Robben comparison arises from Hudson-Odoi’s emerging signature move: cutting inside from the left on his right foot – mirroring Robben’s left-footed move – and curling the ball into the far right corner.

Considering his current form and the low transfer fee, Chelsea might indeed regret selling their academy ‘star boy,’ as dubbed by his Forest teammate and former Chelsea defender, Ola Aina.