OFFICIAL: Chelsea confirm €43m signing to fill important squad gap | OneFootball

Chelsea have just announced the signed of Jorrel Hato from Ajax.

The Netherlands international has been a target for some time, with serious links starting in earnest in January, but it’s only been in the last couple of weeks, since returning from the Club World Cup, that the team have really got into gear pursuing him.

“Very excited” Hato ready to make an impact

Jorrel Hato signs his Chelsea contract. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)

Of course, you never get the full details of the transfer fee from the club, but Fabrizio Romano has it down as a €43m deal, without mentioning any significant bonuses or add ons. His contract runs until June 2032.

On the club website, the defender said: “I’m very excited, I’m so 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 for me to do that so I’m very happy.”

Hato is still just 19 but has an exceptional amount of senior experience for his age.

Hato to be used as left back – and could feature later this month

Hato has played as a left back and a central defender, and initially the expectation was that he could be used in both roles. However the well informed briefs from the likes of Ben Jacobs over the last few days have made it clear that his role in the squad is going to be essentially a backup left back to Marc Cucurella. We can still expect to see him used centrally in emergency situations or as part of rotated teams, but in terms of the depth chart, he’s now second choice left full back.

He seems perfectly suited for that position in Enzo Maresca’s formation, and we can’t wait to see him in action. Getting him signed up now means he has two weeks to train and prepare for the big Premier League kick off later this month.