Hutchinson 2.0: Ipswich lodge enquiry to sign a “superstar in the making”
Ipswich Town will be rushing to make some last-minute purchases before the transfer market officially closes as the early February deadline begins to loom large.
The relegation-threatened Tractor Boys have already acquired several noteworthy players to their roster: Ben Godfrey and Julio Enciso joined on loan, and Jaden Philogene-Bidace joined from Aston Villa on a permanent contract at a whopping £20 million.
As the Suffolk team starts to be linked to this intriguing young player, McKenna will hope that this spending binge lasts until the very end of the hectic window.
According to journalist Simon Phillips, Chelsea has been questioned by Ipswich about the possibility of signing Carney Chukwuemeka as a daring new loan acquisition before the window closes. The original discussions were sparked by the Blues’ interest in Tractor Boys star Liam Delap.
According to him, Chukwuemeka is ‘not interested’ in moving to Portman Road before the deadline, even though other teams like Juventus, Porto, and Everton are vying for the 21-year-old’s services.
Ipswich will hope some movement can happen with this deal regardless of Chukwuemeka’s hesitancy to uproot to Suffolk, owing to the fact the newly promoted outfit have struck gold in the past with Chelsea youngsters. After all, Omari Hutchinson wasn’t getting a look in whatsoever when on the books at Stamford Bridge, before then being given the platform to strut his stuff under McKenna.
With a ton of goals and assists in the Championship, Hutchinson was crucial to Ipswich’s incredible ascent to the Premier League at the close of the previous campaign.
After just receiving two senior appearances back in West London, Hutchinson had compiled a rather outstanding 10 goals and six assists for his new team in league action by the end of the 2023–24 season.
He has also acclimatised to the Premier League well, with this stunner back in November helping his team clinch a share of the points against Manchester United. Therefore, Chukwuemeka – who lined up alongside Hutchinson at youth level for Chelsea – could feel more appreciated at Ipswich if a move got off the ground, having been restricted to zero appearances this season in the top-flight.
Chukwuemeka’s career numbers – senior/youth
Club played for
Games played
Goals scored
Assists
Chelsea
32
2
1
Chelsea (U21s)
2
0
0
Aston Villa
16
0
1
Aston Villa (U21s)
29
3
5
Aston Villa (U18s)
26
10
8
Sourced by Transfermarkt
According to the table above, Chukwuemeka could soar to fame if given more regular playing time at Portman Road. He has already made 48 senior appearances for Chelsea and former employers Aston Villa, and he has a promising goal and assist total of three next to his name. After all, football talent scout Jacek Kulig would have called him a “superstar in the making” while he was succeeding in the England youth setup with six goals from 13 U19 caps, and Chelsea may be impeding his development.
Capable of playing in a more traditional central capacity, or further forward as a number ten, McKenna would love to call Chukwuemeka his next signing during this chaotic window, with the 21-year-old offering the likes of Enciso and Conor Chaplin competition in that latter position, whilst further offering something fresh away from the more defensive faces of Sam Morsy and Jens Cajuste. Ipswich could find it difficult to tempt the in-demand youngster to make the switch, but Chukwuemeka might well need a confidence boost after a testing season with the Blues to date like Hutchinson was gifted when relocating.
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