Omari Hutchinson is a player that Chelsea will need to decide on this summer, as Ipswich Town is eager to pay £20 million for the offensive star.
Omari Hutchinson, fresh off a stellar 2023–24 campaign, is sure to make waves this summer. The 20-year-old, who joined Ipswich Town on a season-long loan, was crucial to the Tractor Boys’ first-ever promotion to the Premier League since 2002.
The prodigy helped the Suffolk-based team out overall with 11 goals and six assists in all competitions. Manager Kieran McKenna started Hutchinson off the bench, but as the season progressed, he became more and more of an impact player, and in the latter few months of the season, he was among the first names on their roster.
Because of his quickness, cunning, and ability to score goals, Hutchinson was a vital member of the club and helped Ipswich come dangerously close to defeating Leicester City and winning the Championship title in the last month when the Foxes experienced a slump in performance. After rallying to win three of their final four games, Enzo Maresca’s team emerged victorious, with just one point separating the sides in the final table.
Following Mauricio Pochettino’s departure from Stamford Bridge, Maresca and Hutchinson appear destined to team up in west London ahead of the 2024–2025 season, with the latter taking over as Chelsea’s manager. That will all rely on the Blues’ choice regarding the dynamic attacker, though, as Ipswich is planning a high-profile trade for the Redhill native.
Given what the winger can do in the final third, Maresca may very well have Hutchinson in his sights for the upcoming campaign once he is settled in SW6. All of that might rely on the club’s position on the Jamaican international, though, should Ipswich make an offer that the Blues accept.
Hutchinson did play in two matches against Maresca’s Leicester team during the previous season, with Ipswich and the Foxes ending up tied 1-1 both times. The former Arsenal youth player, who entered the action late in both games as a substitute, helped Tractor Boys secure a point at the very end of the match.
Hutchinson played just 11 minutes in the first game of the series at Portman Road on Boxing Day, but he made 16 ball touches and one chance creation. The following month, the winger faced Leicester at the King Power Stadium. This time, he had 19 minutes remaining in his tank and caused problems for the home team while Ipswich pressed for an equalizer that finally came just before halftime.
Hutchinson was among Ipswich’s best players of the evening, scoring seven out of ten in the East Anglian Daily Times’ player ratings. They wrote: “Always lively. A courageous display of skill by a young player facing more seasoned opponents. Jeremy Sarmiento and I worked closely together to cause Leicester some serious issues.”
No doubt coming to Maresca’s attention that night following a “brave performance” as Ipswich took the game to Leicester in search of an equaliser, it was perhaps in the run-in where the youngster really stood out to the Italian as the Tractor Boys gave their promotion rivals a real fright in the race for Premier League football. From February onwards, Hutchinson became a permanent fixture in McKenna’s starting XI and went on to deliver some crucial moments as he contributed goals and assists in five successive games, including two last-minute strikes against West Brom and Rotherham.
His quality was very much on show in the final weeks of the season, with the player scoring two incredible goals in a 3-3 draw away at Hull City as he toyed with Ipswich’s opponents. Then, on the final day of the season, Hutchinson was on the scoresheet once again with a goal in the 2-0 win over Huddersfield Town that saw his loan club return to the top table of English football for the first time in 22 years.
Starring in the Championship and now looking to take his sublime form into the 2024/25 season, Chelsea have a big decision to make over Hutchinson. If he is to remain at Stamford Bridge beyond the end of the summer transfer window, Maresca knows exactly what the player can offer his team after an outstanding year in the Championship
