The now Nottingham Forest player is one of the finest talents to have emerged from Cobham. Callum Hudson-Odoi is making significant progress at Nottingham Forest and admits that leaving Chelsea was a difficult decision, but one he had to take to advance his career.

Chelsea has a reputation for allowing promising players to depart before they become global superstars, such as Kevin De Bruyne, who played for the club but left before achieving wider recognition. Mohamed Salah is another example, along with Lewis Hall, who is now at Newcastle and could still become a major star.

However, Hudson-Odoi explains that his situation was different, as he needed to re-establish himself elsewhere for his own benefit.

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, he said: "I had opportunities at Chelsea and played a lot of matches. But I reached a point where I had to reflect and realise that while it had been great, it was time to move on. It was a tough decision, but the right one. You have to know when the time is right to move forward. And that was my moment. It wasn’t about leaving in a bad way—it was about going to rediscover my football and enjoy it again."

Nottingham Forest's Unbeaten Start

It has been an excellent start for Nuno Espírito Santo’s side, who have won two and drawn three of their opening five league matches of the season, with Hudson-Odoi playing a pivotal role in the squad.

The 23-year-old has already accumulated 369 minutes this season, but his standout moment came at Anfield, where he curled in one of the most spectacular finishes seen from a visiting side. His strike handed Liverpool their first defeat of the season and secured a vital three points for Forest.

In just a few days, Nottingham Forest will head to Stamford Bridge, and Hudson-Odoi, who scored and celebrated against Chelsea last season, hopes the supporters will show him appreciation rather than hostility.

"I hope they recognise me and maybe give me a round of applause or something," he said.