'Crazy' and 'wild' - supporters react to ex Chelsea star's 'absurd' scandal statement

Football supporters have labelled former Chelsea star Callum Hudson-Odoi's need to shut down speculation linking him to Jeffrey Epstein's island as 'crazy' and 'wild'.

The 23-year-old, who now plays for Nottingham Forest, took to Instagram on Thursday night and shared a statement about the 'absurd' rumours being spread by some online after a list of names linked with the paedophile were published in legal documents this week. Hudson-Odoi was not on the list but some online confusion with another list of names, believed to be connected with Premier League stars who had caught Covid-19, led to the winger feeling the need to speak out.

The player, who is a product of the Chelsea academy, wrote: "I have seen this circulating around social media for a while now, and I wasn't going to comment on it as it is absurd (and I would've been a child at the time); however, understanding my position as a role model, I would like to make it absolutely clear that I have never been part of the Epstein scandal nor have I ever been to Epstein island; so please stop tagging me in these posts. Thank you."

Reacting to the statement online, one Chelsea fan wrote: "I’m on the floor there’s no way Callum Hudson-Odoi is releasing a statement about not being involved with Epstein, my brother you were 4 years of age eating boiled egg in Ghana."

Others wrote that "the internet is a wild place" and labelled the whole situation as "crazy" and "ridiculous". One X user added: "Wait, what? Why are people accusing him of it in the first place? I swear, this is what happens when I log off Twitter for just a few hours..."

Hudson-Odoi ended his 16 years at Chelsea to join Nottingham Forest last September for a fee believed to be around £5 million. The star, who is set to face Blackpool in the FA Cup on Sunday, made 126 appearances for the Blues' first team.