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The reigning FIFA Club World Cup champions Chelsea confirmed the arrival of Netherlands and Ajax defender Jorrel Hato, reportedly for £37 million, on Sunday, August 3, who is their eighth signing of the ongoing summer transfer window. The 19-year-old is widely regarded as one of the best young defensive talents in the world, and it led to Chelsea finalising a seven-year contract with him.
As per the report from BBC Sport, Jorrel Hato underwent a medical at Chelsea this past weekend in London before the deal with the Dutch club was finalised. Hato emerged at Ajax at their famous academy prior to making his debut for their first team at a tender age of 16-year-old before captaining them a year later, and he ended up playing 111 matches for them.
Chelsea is the best place for me to do that so I'm very happy: Jorrel Hato
It led to Jorrel Hato debuting for Netherlands as a substitute in 2023 in a UEFA Euro Qualifiers match against Gibraltar, which ended up being a 6-0 win for his national team at the Estadio Algarve in Loule, Portugal. In his young career, Hato has already made six appearances for the Dutch, and a good first season at Chelsea could help him secure a place in the national team in the FIFA World Cup 2026 next year.
In his first comments after joining Chelsea, Jorrel Hato talked to the club website about his excitement and happiness of becoming a part of the team, talking about how it’s the next step in his career. He was quoted as saying, “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."
