NafisaNottingham Forest have made budget-friendly signings a priority in recent transfer windows, but one acquisition might stand out above the rest—especially considering how much Bayern Munich was once prepared to pay for him.
There’s hardly a player in Forest’s current squad that Evangelos Marinakis can be accused of overpaying for, as Nuno Espírito Santo’s roster of underrated talents has propelled the team to third place in the Premier League.
Bargain deals can be found across the pitch, from Matz Sels, who cost just £6m and now leads the league with ten clean sheets, to Murillo, a £14m signing in 2023 who has since become one of Europe’s most promising defenders—so much so that Forest would demand a record-breaking fee to part ways with him.
Another savvy piece of business came in midfield when Marinakis ensured Elliot Anderson’s move didn’t collapse by facilitating Odysseas Vlachodimos’ transfer to Newcastle, securing a high-quality player at a reduced cost.
However, among all these value-for-money deals, one stands above the rest, primarily because of the staggering sum Bayern Munich once attempted to pay for him.
Bayern Munich once offered £70m for Callum Hudson-Odoi
In hindsight, it’s remarkable that Forest secured Hudson-Odoi from Chelsea for just £3m, given the significant impact he has made at the club.
Supporters have called for Hudson-Odoi to receive an England call-up in recognition of his performances at the City Ground, but his career could have taken a dramatically different path.
Back in 2020, after establishing himself as a useful option at Chelsea, he became the subject of a high-profile bid from Bayern Munich.
According to a Sky Sports report at the time: “Chelsea [have] rejected a loan bid for Callum Hudson-Odoi from Bayern Munich.
“The [then] Champions League winners have offered to take the 19-year-old on loan for the rest of this season with an option to buy for £70m next summer.”
Considering Hudson-Odoi had yet to truly establish himself as a dominant force at Chelsea, this was an eye-watering sum. However, Bayern’s pursuit of the winger wasn’t a new development.
The same report added: “Bayern’s interest in the highly-rated winger is longstanding. They made Hudson-Odoi a key target during the January transfer window last year when they offered Chelsea £30m for his services, and they saw a fourth bid worth around £22.5m rejected in the summer of 2019.”
Hudson-Odoi’s absence was noticeable in Forest’s recent defeat to Bournemouth, but even so, it’s astonishing to think that the player they signed for £3m was once valued at 23 times that amount by Bayern.
Callum Hudson-Odoi has improved since then
Expanding on their report, Sky Sports noted: “Bayern’s manager Hansi Flick was asked about Hudson-Odoi ahead of his side’s Bundesliga clash with Hertha Berlin on Sunday and confirmed that the club has shown legitimate interest in the player.
“Flick said: “I don’t know what will happen. He’s one of the best talents on his position and can play as a winger and even as a striker. That’s why Bayern Munich is thinking about him.””
Though Bayern missed out on him in his younger years, statistics now highlight just how much he has developed since.
By nearly every measure relevant to his position—aside from assists—Hudson-Odoi has become a superior player since joining Forest compared to when Bayern valued him at £70m.
His goal-scoring ability has notably improved, as has his confidence in taking shots, reflected in his increased number of attempts on target.
His dribbling has also become more refined, much to the satisfaction of Forest’s manager, who depends on his wingers to provide creativity for Chris Wood up front.
It remains uncertain whether Bayern still track Hudson-Odoi after their previous unsuccessful bids, but if they do, they’d now be looking at a much more complete player than the one they pursued in 2020.
Nafisa
