Since Todd Boehley and Clearlake Capital took charge at Chelsea, the club has seen consistently busy transfer windows. The summer window before the current season was no exception, with Chelsea securing 10 new signings.
Among them was Omari Kellyman, signed from Aston Villa in late June for £19 million on a six-year contract. However, the 18-year-old attacking midfielder has yet to make an appearance for Enzo Maresca's team, as injuries have plagued his early days at the club.
Kellyman managed two appearances for Chelsea's Under-21 side before a severe hamstring injury in September halted his progress. After a long recovery, he recently made his long-awaited return, playing 35 minutes in the Under-21s' Premier League 2 match against Norwich City. Unfortunately, in a recent Instagram post, Kellyman shared the devastating news of re-injuring his hamstring, ruling him out for the rest of the season.
“Beyond gutted to say that this season has come to an early end for me due to a re-injury of my hamstring, despite only just returning after having hamstring issues for a massive part of this season. 24/25 has been a tough season for me mentally and physically due to injury, but it’s important now that I take time to get this right and come out the other side stronger and better ready for what next season brings.” he wrote.
Kellyman began his career at Derby County, where he spent a decade before joining Aston Villa in 2022. A promising England youth international, he made a mark with Villa’s Under-18s and Under-21s, earning a Premier League 2 Player of the Month nomination.
He was part of Villa’s pre-season tour of the United States ahead of the 2023-24 campaign and made his first-team debut in a Europa Conference League victory over Hibernian in August 2023. That season, he made five more senior appearances, including Premier League outings against Manchester City and Crystal Palace.