Ipswich Town Make Summer Transfer worth of £20 million

Omari Hutchinson joined Ipswich Town from Chelsea in the summer and the loanee has been in stunning form in recent months.

The forward joined as part of a temporary agreement with Chelsea for the 2023/24 campaign to help develop him after a lack of first-team opportunities in Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

It is clear that Hutchinson is developing well under Kieran McKenna, and it would be perhaps in his best interests to remain at Portman Road for another season, either on loan, or possibly on a permanent basis if Chelsea are willing to sell the young Jamaica international.

Hutchinson is only 20 and is capable of operating in either a wide forward role, or as an attacking-midfielder, making him a good fit for plenty of roles within McKenna’s set up. However, Hutchinson has started just 17 of his 42 games in all competitions for Ipswich so far, predominantly featuring as a right-sided attacker cutting in on his left-foot.

Ipswich’s Chelsea loanee has been in great form in recent months, and has still been a key player for the Tractor Boys so far this season despite not starting every game. Hutchinson’s contributions of late have seen him start more frequently, with eight goals or assists in the last nine Championship games.

He signed off in spectacular fashion before the international break, with two goals and an assist in a 6-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday, and is evidently developing rapidly at Portman Road.

Omari Hutchinson’s potential and Chelsea future

Fabrizio Romano reported recently that a number of European sides are monitoring the 20-year-old’s progress this season, so Chelsea could be subject to multiple bids for the player in the summer, when he will have just a year left on his contract at Stamford Bridge.

Here, we ask our FLW writers their verdict on what should be his next career move. Should Ipswich look for a permanent deal if they are promoted?

Adam Elliott

While Hutchinson has not managed to nail down a regular starting place in the Ipswich team due to the fact that McKenna likes to rotate his attacking options, his recent form has given him an opportunity to lay down a marker in Ipswich’s quest for automatic promotion, and he could be pivotal in the run-in.

He’s got all the tools in his arsenal to develop into a Premier League player at some stage, and that could well be next season, with further game time needed in the top-flight to achieve his enormous potential. The winger is one of the most direct players in an extremely attack-minded Ipswich side, and McKenna would surely love to have the player for longer, if possible.

Hutchinson carries a two-way threat of being a creative playmaker and a strong ball-striker in and around the penalty area, but it is his direct dribbling that makes him such a high quality player in settled play or on the counter-attack for Ipswich, and, with more refinement, could showcase those talents in the Premier League.

There’s a reason he broke through with Arsenal and Chelsea as one of the highest-rated players in his age group, and another loan or permanent deal with Ipswich would make a lot of sense for Hutchinson next season. However, even with a year left on his deal, it’s likely he would be valued at well into the eight-figure fee region.

The adaptation to top-flight football would be far easier in familiar surroundings in terms of playing staff, coaching staff, and the club itself.

His Chelsea future is up in the air but you would imagine that they are keen to tie him down to fresh terms and a long-term contract and loan him out again, be that to a Premier League or Championship side this summer, and Ipswich will be at the front of the queue in that instance, irrespective of the league they find themselves in this summer.

Ipswich Town are keen to re-sign Omari Hutchinson again next season, although parent club Chelsea are preparing a fresh contract offer, according to TEAMtalk.

The 20-year-old joined the Tractor Boys on a season-long deal last July and has played a key role in Kieran McKenna’s team. Although he took a while to establish himself in the starting XI, he has contributed nine goals and six assists in 43 league appearances and won the Championship’s Player of the Season in February.

The Suffolk-based club are on the verge of a return to the Premier League for the first time in 22 years. Following Monday’s 2-1 win over Coventry City, they need just a point from their final game against Huddersfield Town tomorrow to secure back-to-back promotions.

Hutchinson is likely to be on the team sheet after starting the last eight fixtures. He will then return to Stamford Bridge, where it looks like a decision has been made on his future.

Having signed from Arsenal in 2022, the winger made his debut for the six-time English champions as a second half substitute against Manchester City in January 2023. He is under contract until next summer, although it is now claimed that the Blues are hoping to extend his stay.

Fresh terms are being prepared, but Ipswich are keen for him to return to Portman Road next season. Should that be the case, Chelsea are unlikely to sanction a permanent exit due to his form throughout the campaign, meaning a second loan spell could be on the cards.

Having been capped twice by Jamaica in friendlies, Hutchinson is still eligible to represent England. Speaking last month, the youngster revealed he had turned down call-ups from both countries to focus on achieving promotion with his temporary club:

“I got called up for both England and Jamaica but I said ‘look, for me I want to leave internationals out for this season and focus on getting promotion’,” he told Suffolk News. 

“There’s a lot of games and my body is quite sore as it’s my first season in men’s football.

“I just said I wanted to leave it all out and focus on Ipswich.”

Writer’s View

Should Ipswich secure promotion to the Premier League, which is looking increasingly likely, this is one move that looks destined to happen. Hutchinson has been a huge hit at Portman Road and he would surely love a crack at playing regular top tier football. The Tractor Boys would likely accommodate that and it suits all parties.

Chelsea are renowned for keeping young players on their books. They regularly use loan spells to see them through their development years and they will have been keeping a close eye on the versatile attacker’s progress. He is unlikely to break into their team anytime soon, hence why a new contract and a fresh temporary move seems the best course of action at this stage.