Omari Hutchinson

Omari Hutchinson
Hutchinson with Ipswich Town in 2024
Personal information
Full name Omari Hutchinson [1]
Date of birth (2003-10-30) 30 October 2003 (age 21)
Place of birth Redhill, England[2]
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)[3]
Position(s) Winger, attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team
Nottingham Forest
Number 21
Youth career
2008–2012 Chelsea
2012–2014 Charlton Athletic
2015–2022 Arsenal
2022–2023 Chelsea
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023–2024 Chelsea 1 (0)
2023–2024Ipswich Town (loan) 44 (10)
2024–2025 Ipswich Town 31 (3)
2025– Nottingham Forest 1 (0)
International career
2020 England U17 3 (0)
2021 England U19 1 (0)
2023 Jamaica 2 (0)
2024–2025 England U21 10 (3)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  England
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Winner 2025 Slovakia
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16:11, 24 August 2025 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 19:13, 29 June 2025 (UTC)

Omari Elijah Giraud-Hutchinson (born 30 October 2003) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for Premier League club Nottingham Forest and the England national under-21 team.

Early life

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Hutchinson was born in Redhill, England.[4] He grew up in South London along with his older brother O'Shaye, who has played for non-League football clubs Burgess Hill Town, East Grinstead Town and Ramsgate.[5]

Club career

[edit]

Early career

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Hutchinson began his career with Chelsea,[6] joining in 2008.[7] In a video posted on Chelsea's official website in late July 2023, Hutchinson's father stated that he had been released twice by Chelsea as a child.[8] In 2012, he was scouted and signed by Charlton Athletic while playing football in the Addicks car park as his brother, Oshaye, was training with the youth team.[9] While at Charlton, he caught the eye of North-London rivals Arsenal, having impressed in a game against them.[10]

After two years with Charlton, Hutchinson left the club and trials with Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford followed, but ultimately led to nothing. Hutchinson took a year-long break from academy football to play futsal with his friends, before joining Arsenal at under-12 level.[9] Hutchinson also stated that he spent time with Crystal Palace prior to joining Arsenal.[8]

At the age of twelve, Hutchinson took part in a South-London tournament hosted by Brazilian football legend Pelé, who praised Hutchinson for his skills. At the tournament, he also met football content creators F2Freestylers, who invited him to star in a video on their YouTube channel. The video, showcasing Hutchinson's skills, has amassed over four million views.[9]

In November 2020, Hutchinson signed his first professional contract with Arsenal.[11] He was handed a place on the bench for the Arsenal senior team for the first time in their 1–0 FA Cup defeat to Nottingham Forest on 9 January 2022.[12]

Return to Chelsea

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On 16 July 2022, Hutchinson rejoined Chelsea.[13] He made his professional debut on 5 January 2023 in a 1–0 home defeat against Manchester City, coming on as a second-half substitute.[14]

Loan to Ipswich Town

[edit]

On 20 July 2023, Hutchinson agreed to join newly-promoted Championship side Ipswich Town on a season-long loan.[15] Despite being unable to fully cement himself in the starting eleven, he was awarded the EFL Championship Player of the Month award for February 2024 having scored three injury-time goals, also contributing two assists.

Ipswich Town

[edit]

After helping the club gain promotion to the Premier League after 22 years away, Hutchinson rejoined Ipswich Town on 30 June 2024 and signed a five-year contract for a club-record fee.[16] On 24 November 2024, Hutchinson scored his first Premier League goal in a 1–1 home draw against Manchester United.[17] On 30 December 2024, Hutchinson scored in a 2–0 home league victory over his former club Chelsea to secure the club's first Premier League home win since 2002.[18] He scored his third Premier League goal in a 1-4 home loss to Tottenham Hotspur on 22 February 2025.[19]

Nottingham Forest

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On 16 August 2025, Premier League club Nottingham Forest announced the signing of Hutchinson, on a five-year contract for a fee of £37,500,000.[20]

International career

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Born in England, Hutchinson is of Jamaican descent. He is a youth international for England, having represented England Under-17 in February 2020.[21] The following year he played in qualifiers for England U19.[22]

Hutchinson was called up to the Jamaica national team in May 2022, and made his unofficial debut in a 6–0 loss to Catalonia in the same month.[23][24] In November 2022, Hutchinson was told by Chelsea not to report for international duty with Jamaica, so that he could be involved in first team matches with The Blues.[7] He made his first official start for Jamaica in a 1–0 loss in a friendly to Trinidad and Tobago on 11 March 2023.[25]

In August 2024, Hutchinson was called up to the England U21 side.[26] He made his debut for that age group during a dramatic 2–1 win over Ukraine at Dean Court on 11 October 2024.[27] Four days later he scored his first international goal during their last qualifier against Azerbaijan at Ashton Gate.[28]

Hutchinson was included in the England squad for the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.[29] He scored a goal in the final as England defeated Germany 3–2 after extra time to win the tournament.[30]

Media

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Hutchinson was involved in the Amazon Original sports docuseries All or Nothing: Arsenal, which documented the club by spending time with the coaching staff and players behind the scenes both on and off the field throughout their 2021–22 season.[31][32]

Career statistics

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Club

[edit]
As of match played 24 August 2025[33]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Arsenal U21 2021–22[34] 4[a] 2 4 2
Chelsea U21 2022–23[35] 4[a] 1 4 1
Chelsea 2022–23[35] Premier League 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
2023–24[36] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Ipswich Town (loan) 2023–24[36] Championship 44 10 2 0 4 1 50 11
Ipswich Town 2024–25[37] Premier League 31 3 0 0 1 0 32 3
Nottingham Forest 2025–26[38] Premier League 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Career total 77 13 3 0 5 1 0 0 8 3 93 17
  1. ^ a b Appearances in EFL Trophy

International

[edit]
As of match played 14 March 2023[39]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Jamaica 2023 2 0
Total 2 0

Honours

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Ipswich Town

England U21

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "Premier League clubs publish 2020/21 retained lists". Premier League. 4 June 2021. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  2. ^ Ancestry.com. England & Wales mainly bristol, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.
  3. ^ "Omari Hutchinson". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  4. ^ Hill, Sam (29 October 2022). "Who is Omari Hutchinson? Former Arsenal wonderkid with big Chelsea future under Graham Potter". football.London. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  5. ^ "A forward and a full back sign on". isthmian.
  6. ^ Burke, Elias (25 March 2022). "Malcolm Ebiowei: From representing England with Jamal Musiala to cementing his place in Derby's first team". theathletic.com. Retrieved 26 June 2022. Initially spotted as a five-year-old at Chelsea's pre-academy development centre in Lambeth, Chelsea successfully fended off other suitors to sign [Malcolm Ebiowei] up. The Bermondsey-raised winger was part of a group including Omari Hutchinson and Brooke Norton-Cuffy, who later followed Ebiowei from west to north London to join Arsenal's famed Hale End academy as youngsters. (subscription required)
  7. ^ a b Johnson, Simon (7 November 2022). "Chelsea tell Omari Hutchinson not to report for Jamaica duty". theathletic.com. Retrieved 8 January 2023. (subscription required)
  8. ^ a b "Omari Hutchinson - Over the Road". chelseafc.com. 24 July 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  9. ^ a b c Watts, Charles (9 September 2021). "Omari Hutchinson: Arsenal's teenage internet sensation who wowed Pele". goal.com. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  10. ^ "Young Guns: Omari Hutchinson". arsenal.com. 21 June 2021. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  11. ^ "Omari Hutchinson signs first pro contract". arsenal.com. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  12. ^ de Roché, Art (12 January 2022). "Omari Hutchinson: Driving runs, a somersault celebration and maybe a call-up for the semi-final?". theathletic.com. Retrieved 7 March 2022. (subscription required)
  13. ^ "Young forward Hutchinson joins Chelsea". www.chelseafc.com. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  14. ^ McNulty, Phil (5 January 2023). "Chelsea 0-1 Manchester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  15. ^ "Hutchinson joins Ipswich on loan". www.chelseafc.com. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  16. ^ "Omari is back". www.itfc.co.uk. 30 June 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  17. ^ Stone, Simon (24 November 2024). "Ipswich Town 1-1 Manchester United: Ruben Amorim's era begins with draw at Ipswich". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  18. ^ Kinsella, Nizaar (30 December 2024). "Ipswich 2-0 Chelsea: Liam Delap delivers title blow for visitors". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  19. ^ Brotherton, Alex (22 February 2025). "Ipswich 1-4 Tottenham: Brennan Johnson scores twice in impressive win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
  20. ^ "Omari Hutchinson joins Nottingham Forest from Ipswich Town in £37.5m transfer". Sky Sports. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  21. ^ Dean, Tom (10 February 2020). "Young Lions round off Marbella trip with a 4–0 win over Ukraine". The Football Association. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  22. ^ Smith, Frank (10 November 2021). "England MU19s 4–0 Andorra". The Football Association. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  23. ^ "Arsenal's Omari Hutchinson named in Jamaica squad for first time". Loop News. 17 May 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  24. ^ "Reggae Boyz thrashed by Catalonia". Radio Jamaica News. 25 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  25. ^ Reid, Paul (11 March 2023). "T&T edge Reggae Boyz 1–0 in friendly international". jamaicaobserver.com. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  26. ^ FC, Ipswich Town (30 August 2024). "DUO EARN ENGLAND U21 CALL". Ipswich Town FC. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  27. ^ Jennings, Will (30 August 2024). "Report: England MU21s 2-1 Ukraine". England Football. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  28. ^ Emons, Michael (15 October 2024). "England U21 7-0 Azerbaijan U21". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  29. ^ Emons, Michael (11 June 2025). "England bid to defend Under-21 crown - plus who else could star". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  30. ^ a b Mashiter, Nick (28 June 2025). "England U21 3–2 Germany U21". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  31. ^ "Full 'All Or Nothing' trailer released". Arsenal F.C. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  32. ^ All or Nothing: Arsenal | Official Full Trailer 🎬. Amazon Prime Video Sport. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022 – via YouTube.
  33. ^ "Omari Hutchinson". Soccerway. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  34. ^ "Games played by Omari Hutchinson in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  35. ^ a b "Games played by Omari Hutchinson in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  36. ^ a b "Games played by Omari Hutchinson in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  37. ^ "Games played by Omari Hutchinson in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  38. ^ "Games played by Omari Hutchinson in 2025/2026". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  39. ^ "Omari Hutchinson". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  40. ^ "Ipswich Town Promoted to Premier League". Ipswich Town F.C. 4 May 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  41. ^ "Sky Bet Championship: Manager & Player of the Month February winners". www.efl.com. 8 March 2024. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  42. ^ "End of Season Award Winners". Ipswich Town F.C. 7 May 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
[edit]
  • Profile at the Ipswich Town F.C. website