Chelsea have announced the signing of teenage winger Omari Hutchinson from Arsenal, with the highly rated 18-year-old winger joining the Blues' Under-23s side ahead of the 2021/22 season.
Hutchinson was first linked with a surprise move across London yesterday and completed a move overnight, with Chelsea announcing the signing prior to the completion of Kalidou Koulibaly's move £33.8million move from Napoli. The 18-year-old is primarily a right-winger who cuts inside on his left foot and played a pivotal role for the Gunners in the Premier League 2 last season.
Born in Surrey, he has already made his international debut for Jamaica, representing the Reggae Boyz in a friendly against the Catalonian national team in May having previously represented England at youth level.
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The move will be viewed as a surprise for Gunners fans, with the youngster viewed as having a bright future at the club, but following the signing of Fabio Vieira in addition to Nicolas Pepe and Bukayo Saka already in the first team, it was believed that Hutchinson's pathway to the first team could be blocked.
On completion of the signing, Chelsea's head of youth recruitment Jim Fraser explained the move, praising the youngster: "We are delighted that Omari has agreed to sign for Chelsea. He is a brilliant addition who joins us as an exciting emerging talent hoping to make a quick impression in the senior game."
Currently at Chelsea, there is a host of attacking talent, but with current first-teamer and potential departure Hakim Ziyech the only current left footed playmaker at the club, there could be a role for Hutchinson going forward.
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