What can Chelsea fans expect of Omari Kellyman?

22 Jun 2024 15:00 BST
4 min read

Chelsea are close to completing a move for Aston Villa’s Omari Kellyman.

The news that the Blues are close to signing the 18-year-old was broken by the Telegraph and the Athletic, with the Stamford Bridge expected to complete a deal worth in the region of €22.5 million (£19m) for the attacking midfielder.

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There are still details of the deal to be thrashed out before it is completed. Personal terms need to be agreed on the contract, with Kellyman set to be tied to a deal that will stretch until 2030 or even 2031. It appears to be a formality that he will sign, though.

The deal, meanwhile, is not related to the transfer that will take Ian Maatsen from Chelsea to Aston Villa for something in the region of €45 million.

So what can Chelsea expect of their new youngster?

READ MORE: Latest Chelsea transfer rumours

Kellyman is one for the future

STATS

12

Games
7

Goals
0

Assists

The huge fee Chelsea are paying for Kellyman is far in excess of his worth currently. His Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) is just €750,000. Chelsea are, therefore, paying approximately 30 what he’s worth.

But what is notable is that Kellyman’s value increased dramatically off his Premier League debut, rising from €200,000 to his current career-high. This suggests that more first-team exposure would see this rise further.

Getting into the Chelsea team, meanwhile, appears unlikely.

A year ago, when he signed his first Aston Villa contract, it was academy manager Mark Harrison said: “He has a lot of potential as an attacking midfielder and we look forward to seeing him fulfil it.”

SciSports rate Kellyman, who is an England U20 international, as a very raw youngster with a SciSkill, calculated using hundreds of in-game data points, of just 33.7.

© IMAGO - Omari Kellyman in Premier League 2

In the Premier League 2, Kellyman played with Aston Villa in Division One. He had a good record in the competition, playing 11 times and returning seven goals.

SciSports rated him in the top third of centre forwards at this level, though it was stressed that as he played fewer than 900 minutes, this measurement remains a little unreliable.

Breaking his performance down, he excelled in his dribbling and his finishing, particularly his heading from offensive set pieces and his long-range shots.

His defensive work, though, needs work. He was not strong in terms of pressing, positioning or prevention.

Clearly, though, Kellyman is one for the future and not someone Chelsea expect to come good now. Still, the investment of more than €20m means there will be a significant degree of expectation on the youngster, who still has rough edges in his game that need improved before he is ready for the big time.

Read more about: Premier League, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Omari Kellyman