Omari Kellyman – The Underrated Gem of Aston Villa by Haydn Chapman-Taylor
D.O.B: 15th September 2005, Derby, England
Position: Attacking midfielder/Striker
Clubs: Derby, Aston villa
Strong foot: Left
Value: £1million
Height: 1.91m/ 6ft2
Country: Northern Ireland / England
Currently plying his trade at Aston Villa Academy in the Premier League 2, Omari Kellyman is one of the Premier League’s most exciting talents, having come through the ranks at his hometown team of Derby County, Kellyman was soon snapped up by Aston Villa. The Birmingham based side paid a compensation fee of £600k to then Championship outfit. With his natural eye for goal and his electric quick feet, his breakthrough to the first team can’t be far off, after making his premier league debut against Man City as a second half substitute in the 4-1 defeat.
Career summary:
Making his Aston Villa debut against Hibernians in the conference league qualifiers in the three-nil win in the second leg of the tie at Villa Park, he grabbed himself an assist in that game for Leon Bailey’s goal, he played the full 90 minutes. He then came off the bench in three more matches one in the EFL cup in a 2-1 defeat to Everton, a 4-1 Defeat against Manchester city in the premier league and in the Conference league against Ajax in which Villa won 4-0, In the premier league 2 he’s played 11 games and score 7 goals.
Style of play:
Kellyman likes the ball at his feet and will run with power and directness, his athleticism and quick feet allow him to run past defenders to run towards the opposition box to either get his shot away or play the ball out wide and make his way into the box. When receiving the ball under pressure he uses his intelligence to shield the ball where he will either turn his man quickly with a burst of pace or find his teammate with a pass and move into space to receive again. Although on the whole his decision making tends to be very smart with good ball retention and intelligent passing, he can sometimes make rash decisions to shoot from distance whilst the team are in a good attacking position. Despite his athletic build and his quickness, he is also something of an aerial threat, with some of his goals coming with his head for the Northern Ireland u17’s. Kellyman naturally plays as a second striker dropping deep to collect the ball or make late runs into the area (see heat map). He is also capable of making runs in behind the defence.
With his natural height he can compete in the air for aerial duels and flick Ons and has a good burst of pace over short or long distance. He will work hard to win the ball back tracking back and putting the opposition player under pressure but also gives away needless fouls, something that will improve over time with maturity and understanding of the game. For a young boy who’s coming on 19, his physical skillset and his finishing ability suits a lone striker role whereas his technical attributes and mental understanding of positioning and build up suit a second striker / attacking midfield role.
Potential:8/10
With the rebuild well underway at Aston Villa under Unai Emery and the attacking quality the side possesses, Kellyman will probably find first team chances scarce at the moment, with a Championship or high-end League 1 loan ideal for him come next season. I have no doubt Kellyman will be integral in Emery’s plans in the future, with left footers being at a premium at the top level he will definitely be a valuable asset at Villa Park over the next years. Long term I think the second striker role will be where he moulds himself into an elite level talent because of how naturally he drops deep and his willingness to take full advantage of his dribbling and technique.
If he can add a few more areas to his game like a stronger right foot and being able to play out wide, he could break into the first team fold sooner than expected.
Improving his decision making when out of possession is a key area of weakness. Needless fouls when the opposition isn’t in a threatening position shows his age and I’m sure over time he will straighten that out and put the defender under pressure in an effective way.
Overall, I feel Kellyman has the ability to cement himself as a very solid Premier League player and a future England international.
This would be a great article if he hadn’t have been sold to Chelsea a month or so back