Fabrizio Romano has just dropped his signature “here we go” for Chelsea, with the Blues concluding a deal for Aston Villa’s teenage striker Omari Kellyman. There is a “verbal agreement” over a hefty £19m fee for the attacker, who has made two senior appearances for the Villains.
Romano stresses that this deal is “separate” from the one that brought Ian Maatsen the other way, but we’d imagine the talks for both players were pretty heavily linked, at the very least so that both clubs can make the most of the PSR benefits of selling players.
The youngster signs a contract that takes him up to 2030, with a club option for one further year. The medical is set for Monday, and all being well, the move should be announced shortly after that by both clubs.
A deal that will make some fans uncomfortable
We really don’t know much about Kellyman at all – all we know is that the idea of spending £19m on a totally unproven 18 year old just days after our move for the much-desired Michael Olise collapsed because of financial reasons is going to seriously irritate some fans who want to see the first team improved.
This £19m brings another young talent to the club, but given we really want a proven option to compete with Nicolas Jackson and bring some guaranteed goals, it’s a rather puzzling use of resources by the co-sporting directors. Kellyman is certainly highly rated, and has 2 England U20 caps, but is not so highly regarded that this move will avoid raising eyebrows.
This is all part of the new era and the new plan – but it’s a hard one to get on board with when moves like this are happening. The big picture can still remain bright, but there’s certainly going to be discontent.