Former Sheffield Wednesday, Nottingham Forest and Chelsea man becomes free agent after Reading release

The 34-year-old is a familiar figure in South Yorkshire, having amassed over 200 appearances for the Owls across three spells. A defender also capable of operating in midfield, he was a key figure for Wednesday as they pushed for promotion to the Premier League under Carlos Carvalhal.

His most recent spell at Hillsborough came to an end two years ago and he has since been on the books of Reading. It has been a difficult time for the Royals, who have endured off-field troubles.

They were relegated from the Championship last season and then had points deductions to deal with in the third tier. Under the stewardship of Ruben Selles, the club finished 17th in the 2023/24 campaign.

Plans for next season are already taking shape and the club have published their retained list. Hutchinson is being allowed to move on when his contract expires, as are Matty Carson, Nesta Guinness-Walker and Clinton Mola.

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In a statement, the Royals said: “We would like to place on record our thanks and best wishes to Matty, Nesta, Sam and Clinton who will all depart the club following the expiration of their contracts this summer.”

A product of the Chelsea youth system, Hutchinson initially joined Wednesday on loan in 2014. His move was then made permanent and he spent six years in S6.

He departed in the summer of 2020, moving to Cyprus to pen terms with Pafos. However, he returned to South Yorkshire in January 2021 for another spell in the blue and white of Wednesday.