Ipswich Town landed £17m cash windfall thanks to Nottingham Forest - It was smart business | OneFootball

Ipswich Town made a significant profit with the £37m sale of Omari Hutchinson in 2025

Ipswich Town may have only had Omari Hutchinson for two seasons, and only one of those as a permanent Tractor Boy, but he was a financial hit for the powers-that-be.

The winger was a key figure for Kieran McKenna’s side, but it proved great business when they cashed in on the Premier League club’s interest in him after their relegation from the top flight.

The former Chelsea attacker made the move to the Tractor Boys on an initial loan deal from the London outfit in the 2023 summer transfer window.

Hutchinson was a crucial part of the Suffolk outfit’s promotion success, contributing 10 goals and four assists from 44 appearances in the Championship, and he was a hot commodity going into the summer of 2024.

Promotion back to the top flight for the first time in 22 years led to Ipswich completing a permanent move worth a reported £20 million for Hutchinson's services, but within 12 months he was sold again for almost double.

The Reds agreed a deal for Hutchinson worth around £37 million after he registered three goals and two assists in 31 Premier League appearances in 2024/25, and it's hard to argue that

Omari Hutchinson was sensational value for money for Ipswich Town

Ipswich spending £20 million on a single player in 2024 was a sign of their remarkable rise under McKenna, who took charge of them in December 2021 with the team mid-table in League One following Paul Cook's sacking.

Yet within a couple of years, the club were paying a huge fee to sign someone of Hutchinson’s calibre to a permanent deal, having risen two divisions in two-and-a-half years.

It was a no-brainer decision given how important Hutchinson was to their promotion success in their first year back in the second tier, with the club earning back-to-back top two finishes.

And the now 22-year-old proved value for money for the Tractor Boys given the significant profit they earned from his sale just 12 months after signing him from Chelsea.

The season in the Premier League didn’t go as hoped for Ipswich, and relegation back to the Championship was a disappointing, if predictable, outcome.

Hutchinson still had a couple of very memorable moments for McKenna’s side, scoring his first goal in a 1-1 draw at home to Manchester United.

He also provided the second goal in a 2-0 victory against Chelsea, which was perhaps the highlight of the team’s entire campaign, as the second half of the season proved to be a huge struggle in Suffolk, culminating in an immediate relegation back to the Championship.

£17m profit made Omari Hutchinson signing worthwhile for Ipswich Town and Kieran McKenna

It was a gamble for Ipswich Town to pay such a big fee for one player, even with their promotion to the Premier League bringing in a new world of financial riches via the television deals that come with it.

But the fact the winger was sold for £37 million justified the risk, even if it meant that Ipswich no longer had such a quality player for life back in the Championship.

The Tractor Boys have settled into the second tier nicely without him, and they may yet gain their place back in the top flight at the first attempt again.

Meanwhile, Hutchinson has struggled for consistent minutes at Nottingham Forest in the months following his move to the City Ground.

Given these struggles, it further adds to how smart a move it was by the club to cash in when they did.

There’s no doubt that the forward has a lot of potential, and he may yet still develop into a top Premier League star.

But Ipswich were able to reinvest that £37 million back into the first team squad in the 2025 summer transfer market.

The likes of Azor Matusiwa, Marcelino Nunez, Sindre Walle Egeli and Darnell Furlong were all signed on a permanent basis, as well as Kasey McAteer.

This helped McKenna flesh out his first team squad, strengthening in many areas, while still having the attacking firepower of Jaden Philogene and Jack Clarke to call upon.

If Ipswich can gain promotion to the Premier League straight away, then the greater strength and depth of the team will prove quite beneficial in their attempts to solidify their place in the division long-term.

It will be with the help of the £37 million earned from Hutchinson that will help them in those aims, and it’s that kind of smart business that embodies why the club have enjoyed such a great rise under McKenna.