Chelsea Set to Wait Until the Summer to Resolve Callum Hudson-Odoi’s Future Amid Contract Standoff

?Callum Hudson-Odoi’s Chelsea future is set to remain unclear until the summer with no talks over a new contract planned before the end of the season.

The England winger will run into the final year of his current deal in the summer and there have been no suggestions as yet that he will extend his stay at Stamford Bridge, having attempted to force a move to Bayern Munich in January.

?Chelsea held firm in their desire to keep their brightest young prospect at the club but, according to the ?Daily Mail, the Blues have not held talks with Hudson-Odoi’s family since ?Bayern made their final £35m bid ahead of the transfer deadline in January.

The 18-year-old was handed his first senior start for England during the Three Lions’ recent victory over Montenegro, and ?Manchester United are expected to join Bayern Munich in the race to sign the forward ahead of the summer transfer window.

With no talks set to take place over extending Hudson-Odoi’s contract in west London until the end of the season, Chelsea are set to face a dilemma over how best to handle his situation.

Should the youngster fail to commit his future to the Blues, as appears most likely, Maurizio Sarri’s side would be forced to decide whether to cash in on their promising attacker or risk losing him for nothing more than a compensation fee at the end of his contract in 2020.

Chelsea are expected to increase their offer of a new contract to a deal worth £100,000-per-week when talks resume in the summer, though Hudson-Odoi has made it clear that he is more concerned by playing time than money in deciding his next move.

The wide man has made just six Premier League appearances under Sarri this term, though he has featured more regularly in the Europa League, in which he has played eight games and scored four goals.

Callum Hudson-Odoi

Despite Hudson-Odoi’s future at Chelsea clearly hinging on the amount of playing time that he receives, Sarri has offered little encouragement that opportunities will increase for the youngster any time soon.

The Chelsea boss claimed that it was easier for England boss Gareth Southgate to start rising stars such as Hudson-Odoi than it is for managers of Premier League clubs, with the forward yet to start a game in the top flight.

The situation is further complicated by the Blues’ transfer ban, which means that Chelsea will not be able to sign new players in either of the next two transfer windows and would therefore be unable to replace one of their hottest properties should they opt to sell Hudson-Odoi.

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Niko Kovac Admits He & His Bayern Munich Side ‘Must Blame Ourselves’ Following Freiburg Draw

?Bayern Munich manager Niko Kovac was left to rue a whole host of opportunities missed by his side as they fell to second in the Bundesliga with a 1-1 draw against a resolute Freiburg side on Saturday.

Having been top of the division on goals difference ahead of the weekend’s clash, Die Roten came unstuck against their determined and well-organised opponents, seeing them drop crucial points in the race for the title.


??Kovac’s side deservedly fell behind after just three minutes through Lucas Höler’s early header, and came within inches of being pegged further back, only for a combination of Mats Hummels and ?Jerome Boateng saving them as they combined to clear Mike Frantz’s goal-bound effort off the line.

Robert Lewandowski scored his 199th ?Bundesliga goal in acrobatic fashion shortly after to draw the visitors level, with Kovac, speaking on the club’s ?official website, left unimpressed by his team’s first half showing, bemoaning ?Bayern‘s inability to execute the first half game plan as planned.

??“We must blame ourselves for two things. In the first half we didn’t act as we had planned,” he said.

The second period saw a different Bayern side emerge, as the champions carved open numerous opportunities to grab a winner, only to be denied by a combination of good saves from Alexander Schwolow and wayward finishing from Lewandowski.

Such was the number of chances created by the visitors that Kovac was bemused by his side’s failure to seal the win, instead left scratching his head as to how the Bavarian side were unable to snatch all three points.


??He added: “In the second half we didn’t make use of the wealth of chances we had. Those are the decisive points. 1-1 at half-time is okay. But in the second half we should have exploited the wealth of chances, if so we’d have comfortably won the match.”

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Freiburg 1-1 Bayern Munich: Report, Ratings & Reaction as Die Roten Slip Up in Bundesliga Title Race

Bayern Munich could only muster a 1-1 draw with SC Freiburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday – a result which leaves them needing a win against Borussia Dortmund next weekend to reclaim top spot in the division after their rivals beat Wolfsburg late on.

After a bright start from hosts, in which they relentlessly got at their opponents, their bravery was rewarded after just three minutes ?when Lucas Holer glanced a fine header past Sven Ulreich from Christian Gunter’s left wing cross.

Freiburg’s energy and willingness clearly took ?Bayern by surprise and they came within a whisker from doubling their advantage as Mike Frantz’s effort on the counter attack was cleared off the line to deny Christian Streich’s men a deserved two goal lead.

Lucas Holer

They were left to rue that miss just moments later as Robert Lewandowski drew the visitors level with a fine goal after 22 minutes. A corner wasn’t dealt with by Freiburg, with Leon Goretzka firing the ball back into the box with Lewandowski beautifully cushioning the ball in mid-air, and with the same foot acrobatically finishing beyond Alexander Schwolow.

Despite conceding, Freiburg continued to take risks and played some excellent football, giving the league leaders no time in possession and countering with pace, forcing Ulreich into a save from such an instance after 38 minutes.


Neither side made any changes at the break, with Nico Kovac’s side more willing to press in the final third in an engrossing encounter. It was Lewandowski who came closest to grabbing the game’s third goal, but was unable to apply the finishing touch when played through by Muller. 

Bayern were beginning to gain a foothold in the match, with ?Jerome Boateng denied from long range, as the league leaders began to turn the screw. Substitute Serge Gnabry was prevented from bagging his eighth league goal of the campaign by the feet of Schwolow. Gnabry then turned provider for Lewandowski but the Pole was denied his 200th Bundesliga goal by Schwolow once again.


The champions huffed and puffed against their increasingly tiring opponents, yet despite numerous attempts were unable to snatch a winner. With ?Dortmund leaving it late to beat Wolfsburg, the pressure is now on Bayern, and Saturday’s result sets up next weekend’s clash between the two into a fabulously engrossing game.

BAYERN MUNICH

Key Talking Point

With Borussia Dortmund coming up in their next ?Bundesliga encounter, nothing other than a win would do for Kovac’s men to maintain their lead and keep the pressure on next week’s visitors.

Niko Kovac

It’s fair to say Die Roten were taken aback by the host’s blistering start, who weren’t afraid to get the ball down and play. Such was their energetic and determined start they took a deserved lead just three minutes in, as well as coming agonisingly close to taking a shock two goal lead – only to be denied by a combination of Mats Hummels and ?Boateng on the line.

Lewandowski’s wonderful acrobatic finish sparked signs of a comeback, but Kovac will have had words to say at half time as Freiburg continued to pose a threat. There was a slight improvement in the second period, however, such a performance against Dortmund next weekend will surely fall short of the level required to earn a positive result. There was no lack of trying from Bayern but credit must be saved for how well drilled the opposition were, fully buying into their manager’s game plan and looking extremely organised.


Despite utterly dominating the second 45 minutes, no winner was to be found, meaning after Dortmund’s late winner in their clash against Wolfsburg Die Roten fall to second in the table.



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Player Ratings

Starting XI: Ulreich (6); Rafinha (7), Hummels (6), Boateng (6), Kimmich (7); Goretzka (6), Thiago (7), Rodriguez (7); Coman (6), Lewandowski (7*), Muller (6)

Robert Lewandowski,Kingsley Coman,Mats Hummels

Substitutes: Gnabry (7), Ribery (6), Sule (6)

STAR MAN – Robert Lewandowksi

The Polish forward scored a sumptuous equaliser to draw his side level but was guilty of missing numerous favourable opportunities handed to him by his teammates. That said, he was a constant menace throughout as he bagged his 31st goal of the campaign.

His link up play and willingness to shoot from every angle embodied his importance in the side, however, his dreadful miss in the dying seconds from just a few yards out could prove crucial in the race for the title as his 200th league goal eluded him.

SC FREIBURG

Player Ratings

Starting XI: Schwolow (9); Gunter (8), Heintz (7), Schlotterbeck (8), Stenzel (7); Frantz (8), Hofler (7), Abrashi (7), Grifo (8); Haberer (8), Holer (8)

Substitutes: Waldschmidt (7), Gulde (7)

Looking Ahead

Next up for Bayern is a midweek DFB Cup quarter final tie against minnows HeidenHeim before arguably the biggest match of the season as they host Bundesliga title rivals Borussia Dortmund at the Allianz Arena.?


Freiburg travel to Mainz in their next encounter, followed by another away trip as they head to the Volkswagen Arena to face Wolfsburg.

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Jose Mourinho Tipped as Shock Replacement for Niko Kovac at Bayern Munich

Jose Mourinho has been linked with a return to management at Bundesliga side Bayern Munich to replace current boss Niko Kovac.

Mourinho, 56, has been out of work since being dismissed from Manchester United in December following the club’s poor start to the season, and replaced by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Jose Mourinho

Despite his acrimonious departure from Old Trafford, it hasn’t stopped the former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss claiming he’s ?rejected ‘three or four’ offers of a return to management. Now, ?Foot Mercato reporting that ?Bayern Munich could be his next club. 

The French media outlet claims that Mourinho is being lined up to replace under pressure Niko Kovac at the end of the season, following a season that has seen them eliminated from the Champions League at the round of 16 stage, as well as endure a hotly-contested title race with Borussia Dortmund in a league they’re usually so dominate in. 

The report states: “According to our information, the Bavarian club would think seriously about Jose Mourinho for the next season.


“They were already interested in The Special One a few years ago, but the opportunity was not created. This time the shooting window seems a bit bigger. It remains to be seen whether the Portuguese will want to set foot where Guardiola reigned supreme.”

A move to Die Roten would undoubtedly see comparisons drawn with a managerial rival to Mourinho in Pep Guardiola, who managed the Bavarian club for three seasons between 2013-2016, winning three Bundesliga titles and two DFB-Pokal’s, although failed to win to Champions League during his tenure there. 

FBL-ENG-PR-MAN UTD-MAN CITY

Mourinho is likely to be a sought-after name for clubs around Europe looking for a new manager this summer, with former side Inter – a club he won the treble with in 2009/10 – ?also linked with him.

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SC Freiburg vs Bayern Munich: Niko Kovac’s Best Available Lineup

Bayern Munich travel to SC Freiburg on Saturday as they return to Bundesliga action following the international break. 

Bayern are ahead of title challengers Borussia Dortmund only on goal difference, but, having won their last seven league games, they have the momentum as the Bundesliga season draws close to the finish. 

Corentin Tolisso and Arjen Robben are returning to fitness, but are unlikely to start the game. Niko Kovac is therefore likely to field a conventional 4-2-3-1. 

Here’s how they could line up:

Goalkeeper and Defenders

Manuel Neuer

Manuel Neuer (GK) – Since returning from a foot injury at the end of last season – an injury that ruled him out for seven months – ?Neuer has been nowhere near his best level, and questions must be asked if he will ever return to being a world class goalkeeper. Nevertheless, he remains a better option than Sven Ulreich. 

Joshua Kimmich (RB) –  With ten league assists from 26 starts this season in the Bundesliga, the young German has been one of the best full backs in Europe.

Niklas Sule (CB) – The 2017 signing from Hoffenheim has been regarded as a huge talent for a long time, now establishing himself above ?Jerome Boateng for both club and country. 

Mats Hummels (CB) – Now a veteran centre-back, Hummels may be past his prime but he remains a top tier defender in Europe. 

David Alaba (LB) – Still just 26, the Austrian seemingly hit his prime at a very young age, but can still be regarded as one of the best left backs around. 

Midfielders 

Thiago

Leon Goretzka (CM) – The summer signing from ?Schalke has room for improvement, but possesses a fine all-round game, with both defensive qualities and an eye for goal.

Thiago Alcantara (CM) – The Barca youth product has been delayed by injuries throughout his career, but remains a wonderfully gifted player when fit, with fine dribbling and superb vision. 

Serge Gnabry (RM) – Having struggled for game time at ?West Brom only a few years back, the 23-year-old is now becoming a reliable goal scorer, on track for his third successive double figure tally for goals in the Bundesliga.

James Rodriguez (AM) – The star of the 2014 World Cup with Colombia, ??James is in his second season on loan from ?Real Madrid. The playmaker remains productive with a keen eye for a pass.

Kingsley Coman (LM) – The Frenchman is a prolific dribbler, stretching the play to allow his teammates room to operate in central areas. 

Striker

Robert Lewandowski


Robert Lewandowski (ST) – With 18 goals and seven assists in 25 league starts, the Pole remains as clinical as ever – by far and away ?Bayern’s best player. 

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