Chelsea will have one eye on big Ipswich Town concern: View | OneFootball

Omari Hutchinson joined Ipswich Town from Chelsea in the summer and has performed well so far this season.

The forward joined as part of a loan 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 permanently, 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.

Hutchinson has started just 14 of his 38 games in all competitions for Ipswich so far, predominantly featuring as a right-sided attacker cutting in on his left-foot.

Ipswich were dealt two major blows ahead of their trip to Plymouth Argyle this weekend, with the news that Wes Burns and Nathan Broadhead would both miss the trip due to muscle strains.

The Tractor Boys confirmed the news on their official Twitter (X) account, leaving many supporters of the Suffolk outfit to worry about McKenna’s team selection.

Ipswich worked hard to bolster their attacking ranks in January, though. Two recent recruits with Premier League quality will also be available to McKenna; in the form of Jeremy Sarmiento and Kieffer Moore.

Whilst Ali Al-Hamadi is also off the mark after a goal against Millwall for Ipswich as well. It's added plenty of depth to an area of the squad which was already scoring freely, but, despite that, Burns and Broadhead were two of the key forwards for McKenna.

Omari Hutchinson could play a key role in Ipswich's promotion push

Ipswich's Chelsea loanee has been in great form in recent weeks, and has 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 five goals or assists in the last five Championship games, which will be of great interest to Chelsea, who will need to decide their next steps with Hutchinson soon.

Fabrizio Romano reported 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.

While no specific clubs were mentioned, they will no doubt have been impressed with the recent stoppage-time strikes against West Brom, Rotherham United and Birmingham City.

Hutchinson is sure to be amongst more goals between now and the end of the season, especially with target man Keiffer Moore now a key part of McKenna's side since joining on loan in the January transfer window.

While Hutchinson has not managed to nail down a regular starting place in theIpswich team due to the fact that McKenna likes to rotate his attacking options, the recent injury issues, tied in with his recent form, have given him an opportunity to lay down a marker in Ipswich's quest for automatic promotion.

Burns has been fantastic this term, but Hutchinson is more naturally gifted, and it is clear that the youngster is valued by both McKenna and Chelsea and he will be almost certain to be handed a regular starting spot this weekend.

Should he take his chance, it could be the start of making the position his own, and Hutchinson has a much higher ceiling than plenty of Ipswich's forwards, including Burns. It could also bump up his valuation, should he continue on his current vein of form in the final third.