Chelsea have completed the signing of Jorrel Hato, announcing the arrival of the young left back on a seven-year contract today. Hato joins from Ajax Amsterdam for a reported fee of £37m, with Ajax retaining a sell-on clause of unknown value. (UPDATE: Ajax have confirmed the transfer to be worth €44.18m, which converts to £38.3m at current exchange rates; no word on the sell-on.)
Hato is our fifth major acquisition this summer, after Dário Essugo, Liam Delap, João Pedro, and Jamie Gittens, and sixth if you also include Estêvão whose transfer was arranged a long time ago. He will be expected to provide some much-needed backup relief for the overworked Marc Cucurella, though the young defender can also play center back if needed.
Though just 19, Hato already has quite a bit of senior professional experience, including four senior caps for the Netherlands. He had been ever-present for Ajax the last two seasons, with 96 appearances for the club across all competitions in that time.
“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.”
-Jorrel Hato; source: Chelsea FC
Welcome, Jorrel (named after Jor-El?), let’s win some things!
