By George Overhill

19th Oct, 2022 | 9:30pm

Fabio Vieira and Marquinhos signings helped push Omari Hutchinson from Arsenal to Chelsea - The Athletic

Omari Hutchinson left Arsenal for Chelsea after the signings of Fabio Vieira and Marquinhos further blocked his path to the first team, according to The Athletic.

The 18-year-old attacking midfielder made the switch between London rivals this summer as part of Todd Boehly’s heavy recruitment drive of next generation talent.

While The Athletic reports that the teenager is one of the highest paid in the Cobham development squad, it was the two arrivals, in addition to the presence of established young first team stars Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe, that helped make the decision.

The fact that the next step in his development was likely to be a loan, whether he stayed or not, also factored in as Chelsea consider themselves to have a better plan for that market, having used it extensively for years.

The offer from west London was reportedly significantly higher than the one to remain in north London all the same.

Opportunities

Finances are sure to have played their part because Boehly is throwing money at the future in a way that hasn’t been seen at the club in such an obvious way before.

The academy was always funded well and was a leading centre of talent under Roman Abramovich, but didn’t necessarily produce the breakthroughs it could have done, which was part of the frustration for fans.

But since the Clearlake takeover it appears the new owners are investing now in an attempt to avoid the need to spend so heavily in the transfer market in future.

Graham Potter has shown a willingness to use the younger recruits, with Carney Chukwuemeka making substitute appearances in two of the past three Premier League games, so there is obviously a route into the squad these days.

With Hutchinson attracting a lot of attention for the under-21s it might not be too long before he makes a senior squad himself, with four goals and five assists from 12 outings in Premier League 2 and the EFL Trophy.

And with the futures of first team members in his positions such as Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and arguably even Kai Havertz, not set in stone currently, it seems like there will be openings before long.

Mason Mount and Raheem Sterling are established but the latter is a few years older than his Arsenal counterparts, although it would be interesting to know what Hutchinson makes of suggestions that Chelsea would also like to sign Saka himself.

That seems impossible for now though so if the youngster continues to impress he should get a chance soon enough.

In other Chelsea news, Tino Livramento could be back on the agenda after Reece James’ latest injury.