37. Omari Kellyman

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https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1916973/Chelsea-news-Omari-Kellyman-Wayne-Rooney

Chelsea's newest signing Omari Kellyman left Wayne Rooney furious when he joined Aston Villa's youth setup two years ago. The 18-year-old, who made just a handful of senior appearances for Villa, has signed a six-year deal at Stamford Bridge which includes the option of a further 12 months.

Kellyman joins Chelsea after two years at Villa Park, having joined the west Midlanders from Derby County in 2022. He spent a decade in the Rams' academy system and was keenly admired by former boss Rooney before jumping ship to Villa.

Derby were struggling financially at the time and ended up being relegated to League One after receiving a points deduction from the EFL. They needed to sell players and chose to cash in on Kellyman, who moved to Villa for a transfer fee of around £725,000.

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Exclusive: Big Update on Omari Kellyman at Chelsea

https://www.givemesport.com/exclusive-big-update-on-omari-kellyman-at-Chelsea/

Chelsea youngster Omari Kellyman is finally on his road to recovery after picking up a new hamstring injury, despite joining the Blues injured over the summer from Aston Villa - and GIVEMESPORT sources have revealed that the prodigy is looking at a return in November or December as he aims to pick up first-team cameos before the season gets to the business end.

Kellyman joined Chelsea in the summer prior to the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules deadline of June 30 with Ian Maatsen going the other way in a £37.5million deal, but having been plagued with injuries in his first few months at the club, the youngster has been waiting patiently for his chance at first-team football under Enzo Maresca. And that could come in the winter period once he returns from injury.

GIVEMESPORT sources have revealed that Kellyman joined the Blues from Aston Villa whilst he was injured, which means that he has been forced to miss pre-season at Stamford Bridge - and he has now suffered a new hamstring injury in his road to recovery which continues to get further and further away.

 

The youngster, 19, is now back to steady running as he aims to star in Chelsea's youth team - and although it will be unlikely that he'll get to impress in the first-team with a plethora of options such as Cole Palmer, Christopher Nkunku, Joao Felix and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in the attacking midfield role, there may be cameo appearances available later on in the season.

Kellyman will not be rushed back as the club look after his condition for the long-term, though he is expected to be back in November or December - though there is no exact return date just yet. That will become clearer after the international break, where he will miss out on England under-19 duties thanks to his injury.

Kellyman is almost back on the grass, having posted an Instagram story on Monday morning with the caption 'Progress!' as he donned his boots - and though he isn't back in the team's training or even individual training, he is running as part of his rehabilitation phase.

Kellyman joined Chelsea in the summer in a deal that was worth in the region of £19million on a six-year contract, with the club also boasting an option to extend for an additional year.

It was deemed quite an expensive deal, with Kellyman having only featured in six games for Villa in all competitions in his first senior campaign for the club - registering an assist against Hibernian in the Europa Conference League as Villa won 8-0 one aggregate, alongside only making his Premier League debut in April in a 4-1 defeat to Manchester City.

But with Chelsea having had a real focus on youth stars since Todd Boehly came to the helm in 2022, it's been a whirlwind few years in which young talents like Kellyman have been signed. There is no doubt that he will get minutes where possible if household names need to be rested, but they could be few and far between with experienced players ahead of him in the pecking order.