Omari Kellyman
Omari Kellyman
Derby County academy product Omari Kellyman is reportedly expected to be made available to Championship teams on a loan basis.
Kellyman, 19, but he departed Villa last summer when completing a £19m move to Chelsea.
At Stamford Bridge, though, Kellyman has endured awful injury luck; he played twice for the club's under 21s at the beginning of the season but then suffered a serious hamstring injury which ruled him out until March.
From there, Kellyman made a couple more cameo appearances in the PL2, but a recurrence of the hamstring setback ruled him out for the remainder of the season. He didn't play a single game for the club's first-team last term.
Playmaker Kellyman had just broken into the first-team environment under Unai Emery at Villa; he played six times, including three times in the Conference League, as Villa hoped to integrate him into their senior squad.
Chelsea came calling, though, and Kellyman made the switch to London, but until now he has encountered plenty of misfortune on the fitness front.
Kellyman, who signed a six-year deal at Chelsea, posted in March: "Beyond gutted to say that this season has come to an early end for me due to a reinjury of my hamstring, despite only just returning after having hamstring issues for a massive part of this season.
"24-25 has been a tough season for me mentally and physically due to injury but it's important now that I take time to get this right and come out the other side stronger and better ready for what next season brings."
It's now being reported that Kellyman will miss out on a place in Enzo Maresca's Club World Cup squad when Chelsea travel to the US this month. He will remain at the club's training ground and continue to build up his fitness levels again, and then a
Derby are likely to be active in the transfer market under John Eustace, who is able to change his squad for the first time since being appointed in February. The club proved they were comfortable handling young Premier League talent when borrowing Harrison Armstrong from Everton in the second half of last season.
They could also be in the market for wide players with Tom Barkhuizen released, Marcus Harness having gone to Huddersfield Town and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing now reunited with Paul Warne at MK Dons in League Two.
Would you take Kellyman back at Derby? Have your say HERE
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