Chelsea have completed the surprise signing of teenage forward Omari Hutchinson from Arsenal as they bid to boost their academy ranks. Hutchinson was an integral part of the Gunners’ Under-23s side that finished third in Premier League 2 last season, but has departed north London after finding first-team opportunities hard to come by.
While Hutchinson did not make any appearances for the senior Arsenal side, he did feature in Mikel Arteta’s matchday squad on 10 occasions during the 2021-22 campaign.
He will now, however, be available to Thomas Tuchel as the Blues look to yet again offer top English talent the chance to shine towards the top of the Premier League table.
Who is new Chelsea signing Omari Hutchinson?
Born in Surrey, Hutchinson's formal footballing education began at Charlton Athletic before he joined Arsenal in 2015.
Having honed his skills playing futsal, Hutchinson is known for his quick feet, supreme confidence and eye for the spectacular when it comes to goalscoring.
“I’ve always been known as a little skiller," he told GOAL in September 2021. "I would say half of it has come from futsal. But also when I was younger, I used to do skills in my front room, in my garden and in my kitchen. Straight after school I would get changed and do skills. I loved it.”
Over the past two seasons, Hutchinson has emerged as one of the stars of Arsenal's famed Hale End academy, providing 17 goals and 16 assists across the various age-group sides since the start of the 2019-20 campaign.
That form caught the eye of Arteta, who invited him to pre-season training in 2020, but Hutchinson's failure to break into the first team has eventually led to him joining Chelsea.
“We are delighted that Omari has agreed to sign for Chelsea," the Blues' head of youth recruitment, Jim Fraser, said in a statement. "He is a brilliant addition who joins us as an exciting emerging talent hoping to make a quick impression in the senior game."
An England youth international, in June he was called-up to the senior Jamaica squad for their unofficial friendly against Catalunya, but it remains to be seen whether he will commit to representing the Caribbean nation going forward.