Chelsea may have found a solution to Conor Gallagher’s future after Omari Hutchinson revealed he would be willing to join newly-promoted Ipswich Town. Mauricio Pochettino and Blues co-owner Todd Boehly have reportedly been at odds over selling Gallagher during the summer transfer window.
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Pochettino is keen to keep Gallagher, who has been linked with Tottenham. However, Boehly has ruled out a move for the vice-captain as his departure would constitute ‘pure profit’ on the club’s accounts and would help ease financial concerns at Stamford Bridge.
Controversially, selling academy graduates has been viewed as a successful source of income by Chelsea over the last few years. Given that no fee was paid for them, any transfer fee received is able to strike off expenditure.
But Gallagher may remain at Stamford Bridge if Hutchinson goes instead. The 20-year-old winger excelled on loan at Ipswich in the Championship, scoring 10 goals in their promotion-winning campaign.
Hutchinson is not a product of the Chelsea academy having signed from Arsenal in the summer of 2022. But he was signed for a minimal compensation package that would still ensure the Blues received a huge profit if he leaves on a permanent deal.
Asked if he will join Ipswich for their Premier League campaign next term, Hutchinson responded: “I hope so. I don’t know.
"I’ll have to see what my agent is saying and what the manager is saying and then go from there. I don’t know, I just want to celebrate at the moment.”
Hutchinson would likely command a sizeable fee given his contribution during his first full season in senior football. The winger impressed boss Kieran McKenna, who would surely jump at the chance of a permanent transfer.
"He's given everything you'd want from a loan player and more. He's young and has high potential, but he hadn't played any senior football before this season," McKenna, a former Manchester United coach, said.
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"I really liked his mentality, and we were on the same page as him, his family and his representation about what he needed, not just in terms of minutes but also development. He's come into the club with the right application and picked things up really quickly about what it takes to succeed. That has endeared him to the senior players right away, and he's built that as the season has gone on.
"He's hitting a good level but he's still really young. It's not going to be a linear journey from here, but he's got really high potential and a really good mentality towards achieving that potential."
If Hutchinson joins Ipswich, that could secure Chelsea enough profit to keep Gallagher, helping to settle the one issue over which Pochettino and Boehly may be clashing.
