New Black Stars coach Chris Hughton meets father of Callum Hudson-Odoi in Accra to convince him to play for Ghana.

According to Citi Sports, Chris Hughton met with Callum Hudson-Odoi’s father in what is believed to be his first attempt to persuade the Chelsea star to play for his parents’ country.

Hughton, the former Brighton and Hove Albion manager, is the favorite to replace Milovan Rajevac as Ghana national team coach, who was fired last week.

Following Ghana’s elimination from the AFCON 2021 group stage, Rajevac was fired.

Hughton arrived in Ghana on Friday and appears to have already shifted into high gear in his efforts to entice the many foreign players of Ghanaian descent to play for the Black Stars.

On Sunday afternoon, he was seen conversing with Callum’s father, Bismark Odoi, at Accra’s Labadi Beach Hotel.

Hudson-Odoi, 21, has only played three senior matches for England, but he is eligible for a nationality change because all three occurred before his 21st birthday and none took place at a major tournament.

Hughton, whose father is Ghanaian, is thought to be the most appealing candidate due to his ability to entice Ghanaian players born abroad to represent the Black Stars, with Hudson-Odoi and Brighton defender Tariq Lamptey being the most promising prospects.

Hughton’s managerial career spans 20 years and includes two Premier League promotions with Newcastle United and Brighton and Hove Albion.

His most recent position was as manager of Nottingham Forest, where he guided the club to safety in the 2020/21 season before leaving in September 2021, at the start of the 2021/2022 Championship season.

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