Liam Rosenior to keep close eye on Omari Kellyman after scenes away from Chelsea
Chelsea supporters may not have seen the last of Omari Kellyman as he continues to go from strength to strength away from Stamford Bridge.
Many were baffled when the Blues splashed ยฃ19million on the forward from Aston Villa, especially when he was loaned straight out to League One without a chance to impress.
The Bluebirds have been the main beneficiaries of the deal, though, given that the 20-year-old now boasts five goals and one assist in his 29 appearances, four of which have come in the last five games.
Brian Barry-Murphy has done a sensational job at the Cardiff City Stadium, with his side currently sitting atop the Championship table after 32 games.
Liam Rosenior could promote Omari Kellyman to the Chelsea first team
However, it is hugely unlikely, even if Cardiff were to secure promotion back to the Championship this season, that they would be able to afford Kellyman on a permanent deal.
What is far more likely is the young gem being sent out on a different season-long loan for the 2026-27 campaign by Chelsea, but even that route might be thrown into doubt based on his performances so far.
Liam Rosenior appears open to trusting the youth at Stamford Bridge, with Mamadou Sarr, Andrey Santos and Estevao all given previous minutes across competitions this season.
Pre-season will give the new manager the best opportunity to see just how much Kellyman has developed in a short amount of time, but the signs are only positive in South Wales.
What has Brian Barry-Murphy said about the Cardiff City loanee?
Speaking back in October, Barry-Murphy praised Kellyman, saying: โIโm very pleased with the amount of progress heโs making. Weโre wary of how much we want to push him and expose him to playing long periods in games.
โI think youโll see the benefits of what he can do later on in the campaign once he gets that consistency and confidence going from game to game.โ
Unsurprisingly, that is exactly what has happened with Kellyman, with the young attacker sparking to life in recent matches, helping fire the Bluebirds to the top of the League One table.
Itโll be difficult now for anyone to stop Cardiff from winning the league title, albeit Lincoln City are only four points behind, and the two sides still need to meet on Saturday, 7 March.