Chelsea £19m summer signing suffers 'long' injury in major blow for ex Aston Villa star

Chelsea forked out £19 million to bring promising Aston Villa youngster Omari Kellyman to Stamford Bridge this summer and it's been a nightmare start to life in London for the midfielder.

The 18-year-old has featured for the Blues' under-21 side so far this season, enjoying run outs against Tottenham Hotspur and Everton in the Premier League 2. The player was absent from action against Middlesbrough on Sunday and took to social media at the weekend to admit that he had picked up a 'long injury'.

Taking to social media platform Instagram, Kellyman uploaded a story and wrote: "Gutted to have suffered another long hamstring injury. Part of the game but I'll be back stronger."

A product of the Derby County and Aston Villa youth academies, Kellyman made six senior appearances for the Villains since 2023. Those included two Premier League cameos, against Manchester City and Crystal Palace, as well as outings in the Europa Conference League and Carabao Cup.

The future star signed a six-year contract at Chelsea this summer as an investment for the future, costing a cool £19 million at the end of June. Speaking when that move was confirmed, Kellyman said: "It is fantastic to be standing here as a Chelsea player. It’s a massive club with an amazing history, so it is great to join. It is a dream come true for sure. I’m buzzing to have put on the shirt and can’t wait to get started."

Kellyman had missed part of Chelsea's pre-season preparations to undergo a rehabilitation programme on an injury. That injury was not expected to be serious and the player did return to action for the start of the campaign, before his latest problem, which is expected to rule him out for two months.

There were reports that the midfielder was the subject of transfer interest from Birmingham City on Deadline Day. The League One outfit, who smashed the third tier transfer record on Friday, were tipped to be 'eyeing up' the loan move by Football Insider as the hours ticked down to deadline.