Chelsea are enduring a chaotic and disjointed campaign that has seen them desperately scrambling for Europa League. It is set to be the first time since 2018 that the Blues have finished outside of the coveted top four.Part of the reason for this dismal has been their underperforming and inconsistent attack as the West London have only netted 29 goals in 27 Premier League games – the 13th lowest in the division.
Manager Graham Potter has been erratically changing the frontline in an attempt to resurrect this burdening problem but has failed to pinpoint the most effective solution out of the current crop of the first team.
Chelsea have already been linked with a plethora of offensive talent, but the answer could be in the form of an academy starlet that was poached from arch-rivals Arsenal last summer, Omari Hutchinson.
Who is Omari Hutchinson?
The 19-year-old winger was signed from the Gunners last year for an undisclosed fee, and arrived with high expectations after kicking off his youth career in blistering fashion.
Across 68 appearances for multiple youth sides for Arsenal and Chelsea, Hutchinson has amassed 51 goal contributions and established himself as one of the most exciting talents in the country.
During the World Cup, when Chelsea faced Aston Villa in a friendly, Potter was impressed by his dynamism and quality.
“He was really good, really good. [He was] dangerous, asked questions all the time, I think he hit the bar in the first half, but throughout the game, he showed his quality,” Potter said after the match.
Hailed as “very intelligent” by former youth boss Kevin Betsy to The Athletic, Hutchinson could serve as the perfect understudy and perhaps even replacement for Hakim Ziyech, whose Chelsea career is seemingly coming to an inevitable end.
The 50-cap international was signed from Ajax for £33m but has been widely inconsistent and has dramatically failed to nail a frequent starting position.
As per WhoScored, the Moroccan has only started six games league games this season and currently has the 24th-highest average rating in the squad.
The £16m-rated forward was on the verge of a transfer to Paris Saint-Germain in the winter but the deal collapsed at the last minute to serve as further demotivation for a player who is obviously assessing for a quick exit from Stamford Bridge.
Therefore, Hutchinson, who made his senior debut for Chelsea in January, could be the injection of youth and attacking dynamism that chairman Todd Boehly is craving.