Chelsea snatched a promising youngster from its London rival
If the beginning of Todd Boehly’s reign at Chelsea Football Club has told anybody anything, it is that he values nearly every level of the club. From the women’s team to the academy squad, Boehly has made it clear there is not a team at the club that is not worth investing in. Back in the middle of July, just a few days after Raheem Sterling confirmed his future at the club, Arsenal academy standout Omari Hutchinson decided to make the move from north London to west London and join the Blues in a shocking turn of events.
He began his youth career at Chelsea and moved over to the Charlton Athletic academy before getting the attention of Arsenal. He collected an astounding 17 goals and 16 assists in just 46 appearances combined for the Gunners’ U18 and U23 teams. The 18-year-old is viewed as one of the more promising young footballers with his assertive dribbling style and speed at which he plays the game. He will be an excellent addition to the Blues’ ranks.
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From featuring in plenty of first team training sessions with Arsenal last season to impressing Mikel Arteta with his prolific passing and determination, Hutchinson is a player the club should value as he continues to grow into a more well-rounded individual. Chelsea is set to move Hutchinson on loan with Reading in the Championship this season as the club hopes he thrives and takes the next step toward playing regular football at Stamford Bridge one day.
Moving from one rival to the other as a young player of the caliber is not something that happens often. Arsenal is no doubt going to regret having contract talks collapse at the last minute, as some people are comparing Hutchinson to a younger Sterling or Bukayo Saka.
The Chelsea academy fought off relegation last season by just one point in Premier League 2, so Boehly knew he needed to strengthen the youth teams. The fact that the Gunners beat the Blues 9-2 on aggregate last season in PL2 opened the eyes of the club to try to add more young talent with many of its major contributors moving up the ranks. Hutchinson may not play much academy football with the Blues, but with one or maybe two loans, the young Jamaican international could impress Tuchel enough to give him a shot in the first team.
Generally, Hutchinson plays as a No. 10, pulling all the strings from the middle of the pitch. But his versatility allows him to play out wide, as well, with his speed and attacking mindset. Maybe it was the backflips that he was doing against Chelsea last season in the Papa John’s Cup or in the league that intrigued the Blues to sign him, but his potential is sky-high.
His confidence on the ball is evident, netting two miraculous solo goals against Chelsea last season. These demonstrated his speed, awareness and class by beating the goalkeeper from outside the box. Individuals looking to breakthrough into the Blues’ first team must be multi-dimensional, and that describes Hutchinson’s game to a tee.
Hutchinson and the Blues will be able to see where his game is at when it comes to the senior level during his move to Reading for the current campaign. Moving from the academy into the first team at Chelsea is one of the most difficult tasks with the club always searching for talent elsewhere, but Hutchinson seems bound for success with the kind of career he has had to date.
Levi Colwill will get another chance next season to become a mainstay in the back line while Carney Chukwuemeka is making an impression on Tuchel in training just a week into his arrival. All signs are saying Hutchinson is going to get an opportunity due to the shift in the club, and when he does, his growing skillset is going to give him a chance to be a consistent contributor.
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