Sarri insists Hudson-Odoi must 'respect' Chelsea after Bayern request denied

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has told Callum Hudson-Odoi that he must 'respect' his club after the Blues rejected the teenager's transfer request.

The 18-year-old hoped he could push through a £35 million ($46m) move to Bayern Munich this month, but saw the Blues deny his transfer request on Monday.

Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia received the transfer request on Saturday, ahead of Hudson-Odoi's goalscoring appearance in the FA Cup against Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday.

The club then rejected his request on Monday and Sarri was told that the Blues remain resolute amid interest from the German champions.

Hudson-Odoi's contract will expire at the end of next season, and Bayern are understood to still be hopeful of signing him in the summer.

Though Hudson-Odoi may still eventually be on his way out, Sarri believes that his wonderkid should respect the club that developed him.

“Callum is 18. He has to respect the club, the academy, everything. He has time," Sarri told reporters at Cobham Training Ground. “Respect the academy. If you are one of the best young players in Europe, maybe the academy helped you. So you have to respect this.

"It's my job to improve him and put him in a position to do his best. Sometimes I have to say something in the press room on that. It's normal. It's my job. But I was really very happy with the last performance. Of course, he's a very great player.

"He will become one of the best in Europe also in another team, but he has to respect the work of the academy coaches. Because here, I think, it's his home. We will be patient with him because he's a boy from the academy.

"I don't know if, at another club, people would be patient with him after five or six matches. It's very difficult to go to another country and adapt immediately or play very well immediately. That's a difficult situation. It's better for him to try and improve here. But that's my opinion."

Sarri would not be drawn on comparisons to Eden Hazard, who has also been linked with a move away with his deal expiring after next season. 

"The situation of Eden is different. Eden is 28. If he wants to go, I think he has to go. Of course, I hope the opposite. I hope he wants to stay here with us and improve. He has the potential to be the best player in Europe at the moment. Sometimes he's happy with something less."

Chelsea return to Premier League action midweek with a tricky away trip against Bournemouth as they battle for a top-four finish. Wednesday's match comes after Chelsea's recent defeat to Arsenal in the league but the club's form has improved with success in both domestic cups.

Indeed, the Blues booked a Carabao Cup final date with Manchester City by knocking out rivals Tottenham on penalties last week.

At Spurs, like Sarri at Stamford Bridge, Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino is facing pressure to deliver a trophy while also attempting to balance developing players and competing in multiple competitions. 

“My priority is to be a good coach," Sarri said when asked if coaches need to win trophies. "Sometimes, you can't win. But you can be a very good coach without winning. It depends on the evolution of the team. The priority is to play in the next Champions League.

"We will try in the Premier League and in the Europa League, and then we want to win something. But the priority is to play in the next Champions League. Yes, of course [I want to retire having won something]. But probably I will be happy because I improved a lot of players. And, for me, that's like winning a trophy.

“I am trying [to do it at Chelsea]. I think that I did it in Naples. I am trying to do the same here, but here I want to win something.”

Chelsea's upcoming match against Bournemouth comes after new signing Gonzalo Higuain got his first taste of action in the blue shirt on Sunday. The 31-year-old joined on a loan-to-buy arrangement as Chelsea took over AC Milan's deal with Juventus during the January transfer window.

Sarri is looking forward to seeing his new striker line up alongside his club's superstar Hazard but was coy on whether he might select them together against Eddie Howe's side.

"They will play together in training today. It will happen in a match, too. I don't know if that's tomorrow or not, but it will happen. I want to see the condition of Gonzalo first. He didn't play often in the last period, so I don't know if he's recovered.

"Eden rested in the last match so he will play tomorrow. I will have to decide on Gonzalo. Here the defenders are really very aggressive, so he has to get used to playing this football. We have to adapt.”