Ipswich Town’s Omari Hutchinson has been identified by Premier League side Brentford as a potential replacement for Bryan Mbeumo should the Cameroon international complete a £65 million move to Manchester United, as per Fabrizio Romano.
Romano explained that, although the Bees ‘appreciate’ Hutchinson, negotiations between the two clubs are not yet underway.
Hutchinson Could Be Set For Premier League Return
A move to Brentford would mean that Hutchinson could return to the top flight of English football after being part of an Ipswich Town team that got relegated during the 2024/25 season.
He joined Kieran McKenna’s side on a permanent basis in the summer of 2024 after starring in the Championship during the previous season, registering 15 combined goals and assists in 44 league games for the Tractor Boys.
The Redhill-born man struggled in the Premier League last season, as did the entire Ipswich team. His output massively diminished as he scored just three times and only made two assists despite playing in 32 league games and his underlying numbers were distinctly average.
Hutchinson’s performances improved at the recent under-21 European Championships, where he started regularly for England and scored a goal in the final.
Is Hutchinson Ready To Be Mbeumo’s Replacement?
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Mbuemo compares very favourably to Hutchinson in almost every major attacking metric.
The 21-year-old would not be able to move to the Gtech Community Stadium and instantly replicate the goal output and provide the dynamism that Mbeumo has for Brentford. But, the Bees’ model does not require them to sign a ready-made replacement for their star man.
Brentford look to sign young players who they can nurture and develop into world-class players over time and this is exactly what Hutchinson could provide.
He is a tremendously talented young attacker, hence why he has spent time in the academies of Arsenal and Chelsea whilst making multiple appearances for England at a variety of youth levels.
Additionally, when comparing Hutchinson and Mbeumo’s first seasons in the Premier League, the players look much more equal. In fact, they scored the exact same number of goals per 90, the Ipswich man actually has more non-penalty goals per 90, created the exact same number of chances per 90 and Hutchinson had a higher conversion rate than the Brentford star during their debut seasons in the most-watched league in the world.
Writer’s View
If he were to move to Keith Andrews’ side, Hutchinson should not be viewed directly as Bryan Mbeumo’s replacement, but rather as another attacker who Brentford are adding to the squad.
He has tremendous amounts of potential but still needs to refine his game so that he can be productive in the top flight. Next season, the mantle should fall upon the likes of Kevin Schade, who has already spent a considerable amount of time at the Gtech to replace the output lost if Mbeumo departs.
However, Brentford may be about to lose Thomas Frank, Christian Norgaard, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa in the same summer. This is an enormous amount of change and there is no guarantee that they will continue battling for the top 10 positions like they did last campaign.
Perhaps it would be better for Hutchinson to stay at Portman Road and continue working under the manager who has got the best out of him previously.
