The versatile attacking midfielder has this week signed a six-year contract with the Blues – which includes a further one-year option – following a move from Aston Villa.

Still only 18 and an England youth international, his talent is beyond doubt. Yet it quickly becomes clear Omari's journey to Chelsea is underpinned by more than pure footballing quality.

Former coaches have spoken glowingly about the young boy – and then the young man – they have worked with. And that is something which Omari takes great pride in: ‘Day-to-day, I just hope people don’t have a bad word to say about me and it is something that I think about quite consciously,’ he explains.  

‘It comes from my family. My family are the type of people who always help people out and that is where it comes from.’ 

Given that sentiment, it was fitting Omari’s parents and 14-year-old brother were alongside him at Cobham this week as he completed his signing from Villa, where he has spent the last two years. 

‘It is special to have my family here and it is a big thing for me, to be able to see their faces,’ says Omari. ‘People don’t get to do this often so it is a big driving factor personally.

‘The fact that I just want to make my family happy and proud has probably been my biggest driving factor and it gets me going every day,’ he adds. 

Omari is a forward-thinking attacking midfielder-cum-forward who looks to bring energy and lots of positivity to his play. 

He has impressed across the frontline for Derby, Villa and England Under-19s and sees his best position at number ten, playing behind the striker as he looks to create as well as score. 

But how did Omari get to this point, where he is now a Premier League footballer? 

The middle of three brothers (aged 20, 18 and 14), Omari played football in his garden and with friends on the streets of Derby before joining Pride Park Juniors at the age of six. 

The youngster was playing two years above his age group but within a matter of weeks, he had already attracted the attention of Derby’s scouts. 

Remarkably, it wasn’t until Rams staff went to fill out the paperwork they discovered he wasn’t an under-9 player after all, he was in fact still an under-7, such was his talent. 

Coaches at the time spoke of being ‘completely in awe’ of the young Omari and by the age of 16 he had found a new admirer, England men’s team’s record-goalscorer Wayne Rooney. 

The Three Lions legend was first-team manager at Derby when in November 2021 he named the then Landau Forte Academy pupil on the substitutes bench against Bournemouth for their Championship match, just two months after his 16th birthday. 

It wasn’t long before other clubs started to show an interest and Omari joined Aston Villa in March 2022.

After progressing from the Under-18s to the Under-21s midway through the 2022/23 campaign, he made the step up to the senior team last summer. 

Omari was included in Villa’s matchday squad on 22 occasions last season, having made his senior debut in the Europa Conference League win over Hibernian in August while still 17. His Premier League bow duly arrived against Manchester City in April. 

His early progression into senior football was made more impressive because it didn’t come at the sacrifice of his education, scoring between six and nine in his GCSEs – so A*s, As and Bs in old money. 

Omari explains: ‘My mum helped keep me focussed at school and I knew how important my education was to her. I wouldn’t say I am clever but I did well in school.’ 

The importance of hard work was passed on by both his Northern Irish mother, Paula, and his Jamaican dad, Marlon. 

‘Growing up, I remember my dad would be working two jobs and always on the go,’ Omari said. ‘I have obviously seen that if someone else can work that hard, then I can. That is something which rubbed off on me.’ 

In an interview with The Athletic last year, Josh Butler, one of Omari’s Academy coaches at Derby, described the young midfielder as ‘the most down-to-earth, family-orientated 18-year-old you’ll ever meet’. You can see why as we walk around Cobham during our interview. 

‘It is important to always remember your roots and where you come from,’ Omari says. ‘You also have to remember that there is always someone out there who is doing better than you and use that as a driving force.’ 

Omari watched Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho growing up and also loved the way Chelsea legend Eden Hazard ‘would get fans on the edge of their seats’. 

And while obviously humble and level-headed, Omari also has plenty of belief in his own ability. 

He says: ‘I think one of my key characteristics is my confidence. The more confident I feel, the more successful I have been. 

‘Whether that be coming into new environments and meeting new people or on a football pitch – showing people what I can do and what I am about – I think my confidence has helped me be more successful.’ 

He is looking forward to reuniting with another of Chelsea’s confident young talents, Carney Chukwuemeka, who he knows from their time together at Villa. 

Omari has also shared a dressing room with Chelsea quartet Leo Castledine, Billy Gee, Max Merrick and Ronnie Stutter as recently as March when on international duty with England Under-19s. 

The men’s first team building and the Academy building across the road at Cobham are full of talented young players and that was one of the main things which appealed to Omari.  

‘That was a big attraction for me,’ he explains. ‘I have seen young players stepping into the team and playing week in, week out, in the Premier League and I feel like I will be able to take my opportunity as and when it comes. 

‘I want to be successful in the Chelsea shirt; to win games and hopefully trophies. [Over time] hopefully, I can become one of the faces on the side of the stadium. I want to become a big player for this club.’