Arsenal youngster has admitted that Chelsea full-back Reece James urged him to make the switch to West London from Arsenal last summer.
Speaking to The Athletic, Omari Hutchinson opened up on his decision to leave the Emirates Stadium.
The 20-year-old’s decision to leave Arsenal last summer took many by surprise, with clubs across England reportedly raising their eyebrows at his choice.
Hutchinson is currently on loan at high-flying Ipswich Town in the Championship after spending his first season at Chelsea with the Under-21s.
The Jamaican midfielder has racked up 15 appearances in the Championship so far, having registered four goal involvements.
It was a huge blow for Arsenal to lose the talented youngster last summer after he came through the Hale End Academy set-up.
But Hutchinson has insisted that his decision wasn’t based on financial reasons and admits that Reece James encouraged him to make the switch to Chelsea.
Hutchinson says James encouraged him to leave Arsenal and join Chelsea
“I was at Arsenal from 11 to playing for the under-23s,” Hutchinson told The Athletic. “I have a lot of friends there and obviously the coaching staff, so it was a difficult decision to leave.
“I always felt loved there. All the fans were waiting for me to push on into the first team. But things didn’t just work out for one reason or another.
“I just had to get over stuff like that. I spoke to the people at Chelsea, saw the pathway they had for me, knew the staff there and some of the players.
“I already knew Reece James and he told me to come. Everyone gave Chelsea a positive review. I believe it has worked out so far.”
Hutchinson didn’t make his debut for Arsenal before making the switch to Stamford Bridge.
The youngster was used as a substitute on a couple of occasions for Chelsea last season but is now getting regular minutes under his belt at Ipswich.
It was a surprise to see him leave Arsenal last summer given Mikel Arteta’s willingness to integrate academy players into the first-team squad. But it’s interesting to hear that James encouraged the midfielder to join Chelsea.
The Blues do have a brilliant track-record of developing their prospects in the academy of late, with the likes of James, Conor Gallagher and Levi Colwill all first-team regulars.
