CHELSEA SIGN 18-YEAR-OLD MIDFIELDER OMARI KELLYMAN FROM ASTON VILLA FOR £19 MILLION
Chelsea Football Club have completed the signing of young attacking midfielder Omari Kellyman from Aston Villa, the West London club announced on Saturday.
The transfer comes after both teams agreed to a £19 million ($24.02 million) fee for the 18-year-old this week. Kellyman signs to the Blues on a six-year deal with the option for a further season. The deal was negotiated by Kellyman’s representatives from Prodigy Sports Group and will keep the talented midfielder in London until summer 2030. A further year would expire the contract in June 2031.
“It’s fantastic to be standing here as a Chelsea player,” said the Derby-born midfielder. “It’s a massive club with an amazing history, so it is great to join. It’s a dream come true. I want to be successful in the Chelsea shirt, win games and hopefully lift trophies.”
“Hopefully, I can become one of the faces on the side of the stadium. I want to become a big player for this club.”
Roughly three months after he made his Premier League debut against the defending champions, Manchester City, Kellyman is set to now start yet another footballing chapter. The England Under-20 international made his professional debut just last August in a 3-0 victory over Scottish side Hibernian in the Europa Conference League before signing a long-term deal at Aston Villa on October 25th.
Kellyman will kick start his Chelsea career under Enzo Maresca, who was hired as the new head coach earlier this month, when the team reconvenes for preseason next month.
“Obviously, Chelsea is a great club, great history,” added the young teenager of Northern Irish and Ghanaian descent. “Yeah, special. It’s a big thing for me seeing my family’s faces… People don’t get to do it often. As a 16-year-old I never really thought about playing at a big club like Chelsea. I think you just take it in your stride. Yeah, [it’s] a great feeling to be here, a dream come true for sure, great club. [I] can’t wait to get started.”
A former Premier League 2 superstar, Kellyman made a name for himself with the Aston Villa academy during the 2022/23 season after moving from Derby County for a reported £600,000 deal in March of 2022. Kellyman quickly rose within the ranks following stellar performances with Villa’s youth team and was thus named part of Aston Villa’s senior preseason squad last summer.
The versatile midfield wunderkind only managed two Premier League appearances at Aston Villa last season, both as a second-half substitute. However, he featured in three of 4 competitions with the club, including making three appearances in the Europa Conference League for Unai Emery’s men.
Kellyman’s signing is the second for Chelsea this summer, following the team’s acquisition of talented Brazilian winger Willian Estevão from Palmeiras last month. It’s also the second deal between Chelsea and Aston Villa during this summer transfer window after the London club sent Dutch fullback Ian Maatsen to the Birmingham-based club on Friday. The Maatsen transfer is separate from Kellyman’s move and cost the Villans a reported £37.5 million.
Chelsea are expected to be an active team in this summer transfer window with player turnover and have already parted ways with both Maatsen and Moroccan winger Hakim Ziyech. Ziyech spent last season on loan at Turkish side Galatasaray and made his move permanent on Friday. The club is also looking to sell Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku, who spent last season on loan at Roma.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
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