Chelsea secures Jorrel Hato, young Ajax prospect
Chelsea has officially announced the signing of 19-year-old defender Jorrel Hato from Ajax, as announced by the club this Sunday. The transfer of Hato to the Premier League team was finalized for a sum of 46.5 million euros (53 million dollars), excluding bonuses. Chelsea reported that Hato signed a long-term contract that will bind him to the club until 2032 and will join his new teammates this week.Despite his youth, Hato has over 100 appearances for Ajax and six for the Netherlands national team. Hato, who became the youngest player to captain Ajax in 2023 (17 years old), can play as both a left-back and a center-back. Jorrel Hato, who had been pursued by several of Europe’s most important clubs, was linked with Arsenal last summer and earlier this year, before the club signed Valencia center-back Cristhian Mosquera. Ajax technical director Alex Kroes expressed that the loss of Hato is a hard blow for the Eredivisie club, but wished him the best and thanked him for his service to the club.I am very excited, I am very happy to be here. I thought a lot about my future and wanted to take the next step in my career. Chelsea is the best place to do it, so I am very happy.
Jorrel Hato
We wholeheartedly wish you well in this new stage and are proud of what you have done for Ajax, wishing you all the success in England.With Jorrel’s transfer, we lose one of our pillars in defense. He is not only a great talent and a good player, but he also has a very good character and personality. We would have preferred to keep him for at least one more year, but we understand that he has now set his sights on this wonderful adventure that awaits him in the Premier League.
Alex Kroes
