Omari Kellyman

Omari Kellyman
Personal information
Full name Omari Jamian Kellyman[1]
Date of birth (2005-09-15) 15 September 2005 (age 19)[2]
Place of birth Derby, England
Height 1,91 m
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Chelsea
Number 37
Youth career
2012–2022 Derby County
2022–2023 Aston Villa
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023–2024 Aston Villa 2 (0)
2024– Chelsea 0 (0)
International career‡
2021 Northern Ireland U17 3 (2)
2022 Northern Ireland U18 3 (0)
2023– England U19 7 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:56, 19 May 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 08:41, 14 June 2024 (UTC)

Omari Jamian Kellyman (born 15 September 2005) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Premier League club Chelsea. Born in England, he has represented both England and Northern Ireland at youth international level. Kellyman is a product of the Derby County and Aston Villa academies, making his professional debut at the latter in August 2023. Having broken into the senior Aston Villa side in the 2023-24 season he subsequently signed for Chelsea in June 2024.

Early life

Kellyman was born in Derby, England, to a mother from Northern Ireland and a Ghanaian father.[3][4] As a child he attended the Landau Forte College.[5]

Club career

Derby County

Kellyman joined the academy of Derby County in 2012, and progressed through the club's academy, being named on the bench for an EFL Championship game against AFC Bournemouth on 21 November 2021, though he did not feature.[6]

Aston Villa

In March 2022, after ten years with Derby County, he joined the academy of Premier League side Aston Villa, with the club reportedly paying £600,000 in compensation.[6] He signed his first professional contract in September of the same year, having already featured for the under-21 side in the EFL Trophy, with academy manager Mark Harrison stating that the club were "delighted" that he had signed, and that they were "very pleased with his development so far".[7][8]

The following year, he was nominated for the Premier League 2's Player of the Month award for February, following stellar performances for Aston Villa's youth team.[9] He scored Aston Villa's only goal in a 3–1 friendly loss to Bristol Rovers on 24 March 2023,[8][10] before helping Aston Villa to the 2023 HKFC International Soccer Sevens title, scoring twice in a 3–0 win in the final against Tai Po and being named Player of the Tournament.[11]

Kellyman was named as part of the Aston Villa senior squad's pre-season squad, including a tour of the USA, in July 2023 and played in their Premier League Summer Series match against Newcastle United. Having started the match on the bench he was brought on in the second half; his shot hitting the post and rebounding resulted in a tap-in goal for Emi Buendía.[12]

On 31 August 2023, Kellyman made his professional debut in a 3–0 UEFA Europa Conference League victory over Hibernian, providing an assist for Leon Bailey's goal.[13] On 25 October 2023, Kellyman signed a new "long-term" contract at Aston Villa.[14] On 7 November 2023, Kellyman suffered a hamstring injury whilst playing for Aston Villa U21s in the EFL Trophy against Crawley Town, which was estimated to sideline him until the new year.[15]

On 3 April 2024, Kellyman made his Premier League debut, in a 4–1 away defeat to Manchester City.[16]

Chelsea

On 29 June 2024, Kellyman joined fellow Premier League club Chelsea on a six-year contract with an option of an additional year,[17] for a reported fee of £19m.[18]

International career

Having represented Northern Ireland at both under-17 and under-18 level, Kellyman officially opted to switch his international allegiance to the country of his birth, England, in September 2023, following reports which surfaced in March of the same year.[19][4]

On 1 September 2023, Kellyman received a call-up for England under-19s for their upcoming matches against Germany and Switzerland.[19][20] He went on to make his U19 debut during a 1–0 defeat to Germany in Oliva on 6 September 2023.[21]

In May 2024, Kellyman was called up by England under-20s for the first time, but was replaced by Romain Esse later.[22]

Career statistics

As of match played 19 May 2024[23]
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
Aston Villa U21 2022–23 — — — — 1[a] 0 1 0
2023–24 — — — — 2[a] 1 2 1
Total — — — — 3 1 3 1
Aston Villa 2023–24 Premier League 2 0 0 0 1 0 3[b] 0 — 6 0
Chelsea 2024–25 Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career total 2 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 3 1 9 1
  1. ^ a b Appearance in EFL Trophy
  2. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League

Honours

Aston Villa U21

References

  1. ^ "2022/23 Premier League squad lists". premierleague.com. 16 September 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  2. ^ "Omari Kellyman". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Archived from the original on 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Ghanaian teen Kellyman Omari signs first professional contract with Aston Villa - Ghana Latest Football News, Live Scores, Results - GHANAsoccernet".
  4. ^ a b Beacom, Steven (19 March 2023). "Northern Ireland lose another top teenager as Omari Kellyman opts for England". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  5. ^ "Congratulations Omari!". landau-forte.org.uk. 26 September 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  6. ^ a b Nicholson, Steve (7 March 2022). "Youngster's heartfelt message on leaving Derby County for Aston Villa". derbytelegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  7. ^ "Kellyman signs pro contract". avfc.co.uk. 20 September 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  8. ^ a b Townley, John (24 March 2023). "Who is Omari Kellyman? Aston Villa youngster scores 'superb' goal in front of Unai Emery". birminghammail.co.uk. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  9. ^ "Kellyman up for PL2 Player of the Month award". avfc.co.uk. 2 March 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  10. ^ "Villa host Bristol Rovers in friendly". avfc.co.uk. 24 March 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  11. ^ Dicken, Alex (28 May 2023). "Omari Kellyman shines as Aston Villa youngsters reign supreme in Hong Kong". birminghammail.co.uk. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  12. ^ "Buendia stars as goals keep raining in Philadelphia". www.premierleague.com. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  13. ^ "Aston Villa 3-0 Hibernian (8-0 agg)". Aston Villa Football Club. 2023-08-31. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
  14. ^ Maher, Matt (2023-10-25). "Teenage star Omari Kellyman earns long Aston Villa deal". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  15. ^ Tanswell, Jacob (2023-11-13). "Kellyman out until next year with hamstring injury". The Athletic. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  16. ^ "Man City 4-1 Aston Villa: Phil Foden's hat-trick takes Pep Guardiola's side to within one point of top spot". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2024-04-04.
  17. ^ "Chelsea complete Omari Kellyman signing!". Chelsea FC. 29 June 2024. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
  18. ^ Townley, John (29 June 2024). "Chelsea complete £19m Aston Villa transfer". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  19. ^ a b Beacon, Steven (3 September 2023). "Northern Ireland lose another promising teenager as Premier League talent declares for England". Belfast Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  20. ^ "England MU19s squad named to play Germany and Switzerland". The Football Association. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  21. ^ "Report: England MU19s 0-1 Germany". England Football. 6 September 2023.
  22. ^ "England men's Elite League squad named for June games". The Football Association. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
  23. ^ Omari Kellyman at Soccerway
  24. ^ "BSC: Aston Villa 9-0 Racing Club Warwick". Aston Villa Football Club. 2024-05-15. Retrieved 2024-05-16.