Ipswich Town FC will provide the platform for 19-year-old Chelsea youngster

In the midst of the USA Tour, Chelsea Football Club confirmed another departure from this season’s side, Jamaican international Omari Hutchinson who will play Championship football on loan in eastern England with Ipswich Town FC.

The former Arsenal midfielder joins Teddy Sharman-Lowe, and David Datro Fofana among others as one of the five players on the west Londoners that will be out on loan next season. He began his career with the North Londoners, signing his first professional contract with Arsenal in 2020, and returned to Chelsea last summer on an undisclosed fee.

Just a few days to the year in which the talented youngster joined Chelsea, he heads out on his first professional loan. The elusive attacker made his Premier League debut for the Blues in January against Manchester City where he contributed to the final 23 minutes of the contest. A few days later, the versatile attacker came on as a substitute in the third round of the FA Cup.

Kieran McKenna and the Tractor Boys finished second in the EFL League One with just four losses in 48 contests in the third tier of English football. Behind Conor Chaplin’s goal scoring prowess, and Leif Davis’ assist numbers, Ipswich was promoted to the second-tier of English football after four campaigns in League One. Hutchinson will slide into this side that is riding a whole lot of momentum from last season.

Ipswich’s manager McKenna gave his take on the loan move, expressing that while he is a young player, his talent is quite exciting:

"“He is a wide player who can give us different options and is direct, can attack and test the opposition in one-v-ones and has good pace…This is his first senior loan so we have to remember he is very young, but he is a player we are excited to have join the group.”"

In his first season with the Blues, the Jamaican international finished fifth in total goal contributions in the 2022-2023 Premier League 2. Only three players during that campaign, all who played in Manchester City’s academy had more assists than Hutchinson He had six goals and four assists for the Gunners’ academy within the same league in the campaign before.

Omari Hutchinson should thrive in his first loan at recently promoted Ipswich Town

The Tractor Boys compete at Portman Road, a stadium that seats over 29,000. The electricity within that stadium is going to be sky high considering the last few seasons have been in the third-tier. For someone that love to attack defenders in one on one situations, this is the perfect place for him to develop. In every home match but three in the last campaign, Town had over 20,000 fans at Portman Road.

The 19-year-old will have the Golden Boot winner from League One in 2022-2023 alongside him. With Hutchinson’s ability to create chances, Chaplin is the guy he needs to finish on the other end. Last season, Chelsea sent Cesare Casadei to Reading, a club that finished 21st in the second tier of English football the campaign before. Ipswich is on an upward trajectory, unlike the Royals who were on the path of regression after the 2021-2022 season.

Ipswich is not a team that should be considered a promotion favorite by any means, it is a club on the up and up. Hutchinson is in a team with an intelligent manager that has experience coaching U18s with Tottenham and Manchester United. He knows how to look at the development of a player. While many more could be heading out on loan, the 19-year-old very well could return to Chelsea having had the best loan of anyone.

Will Omari Hutchinson thrive at Ipswich?