"It was a bit surreal" - Former Chelsea star opens up on exit from the London club after joining PL side

Callum Hudson-Odoi, who joined Nottingham Forest from Chelsea this summer, has spoken about his departure from the London club and how it has affected his football.

The 22-year-old winger had a promising start at the Blues, making 126 appearances and winning several trophies under different managers. However, he faced injuries and competition for places and was eventually loaned out to Bayer Leverkusen in 2022.

Hudson-Odoi admitted that leaving Stamford Bridge was “a bit surreal” and that he had to “mature quickly” in the past 12 months. He said he learned to cope with challenges and be strong and is now focused on helping Forest achieve their goals. He said he is confident in his abilities and wants to show what he can do.

He said via Sky Sports:

"It was a bit surreal (leaving Chelsea). But now I am here at Forest, I will give everything to this club."

However, Hudson-Odoi thanked his former club for allowing him to play at the highest level at Stamford Bridge.

He added:

''Chelsea will always be in my heart, no matter what. They gave me the platform to start, it's where I called home, I was there for 16 years of my life. They gave me the opportunity to play in the first team and youth cups, they gave me everything. It was emotional knowing it was time for me to go, but there was also excitement - a new chapter, a new start.

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Chelsea skipper Reece James slapped with £90,000 fine and one-match ban for verbal abuse towards match official

Chelsea's Reece James has received a hefty £90,000 fine and a one-match suspension after being found guilty of verbally abusing a match official in their defeat to Aston Villa last month. The incident reportedly occurred in the tunnel at the end of the match, which Chelsea lost 1-0.

The report cited that James admitted to using improper, insulting, and abusive language and behavior towards the match official.

An independent Regulatory Commission conducted a hearing and imposed these sanctions, with written reasons set to be published soon. James, currently sidelined due to a hamstring injury, will serve his one-match suspension when eligible to play, most likely in the next league game against Burnley this weekend.

The Blues are facing a challenging start to the season, occupying the 11th position in the Premier League table with eight points from seven matches. The defeat against Villa marked their third loss of the season. They did secure a 2-0 win against on Monday night.

The club will probably hope for James' return to action in the home Premier League match against Arsenal on October 21.