HUTCHINSON DEPARTS Sam Hutchinson, who played six times in Chelseas first team, is another player the club is saying goodbye to today. The 24-year-old was twice a starter in the side, with the most recent two of his half-dozen appearances coming at the end of the 2011/12 season. His previous game was two years earlier, a 7-0 hammering of Stoke City at Stamford Bridge during which he crossed for Frank Lampard to volley a memorable goal. It was the third game in that 2009/10 double-winning season for the promising, young right-back/central defender who had been handed his debut by Jose Mourinho in the final league game of the 2006/07 campaign. However chronic knee injury problems put the brakes on Hutchinsons development and in August 2010 he retired as a professional player aged just 21. He continued to work in Chelseas Academy while also undertaking studies and a break from the strains of competing proved significant. He resumed his career and signed a new Chelsea contract in December 2011 with his return to first team action coming the following season. An Academy graduate who joined Chelsea as a seven year old, Hutchinson has recently spent time on loan at Nottingham Forest and Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship and abroad at Vitesse Arnhem, with the spell at Wednesday in particular providing regular first team football as he demonstrated versatility by often operating in central midfield. His Chelsea contract ended yesterday. Chelsea Football Club sincerely wishes Sam good fortune and success in the next stage of his career and long into the future.
Posted on: Tue, 01 Jul 2014 06:10:25 +0000