Chelsea Adds Another Player, Young Ajax Defender

JAKARTA - Chelsea has added another player by signing young Ajax Amsterdam defender Jorrel Hato. The 19-year-old player immediately signed a long-term seven-year contract.

Chelsea hasn't stopped hunting for players. This time, they've acquired a young defender from Ajax. Yes, Hato, who has already played for the Dutch national team despite his young age, has officially joined the Blues.

The price Chelsea paid was not cheap. The West London club had to dig deep into their pockets to the tune of £37 million, or approximately 806 billion rupiah.

The price was commensurate, as Hato is a typical modern defender who not only possesses excellent individual technique but is also talented.

This is why Hato was targeted by Arsenal and Liverpool last season. It's understandable, given that Hato is a versatile defender. He usually plays as a left-back but is also frequently deployed as a center-back.

The defender, who made his Ajax debut at the age of 16 years and 335 days, has been trusted to replace center-back Virgil van Dijk in the Oranje.

Meanwhile, at Chelsea, Hato serves as both backup and competition for Marc Cucurella. The defender, who holds the record for the third-youngest player ever to appear in the Eredivisie, is scheduled to fly to London soon for a medical. After completing the requirements, Hato will sign a contract with Chelsea.

Hato becomes the ninth player to join Chelsea this season. Previously, Chelsea had brought in Jamie Gittens, Joao Pedro, Liam Delap, Mamadou Sarr, Dario Essugo, Kendry Paez, and Estevao Willian.

Chelsea has already spent a total of £250 million on players. However, Chelsea is still looking to bring in more players. The next Dutch player they are targeting is none other than Xavi Simons, who currently plays for RB Leipzig.

However, the 2025 Club World Cup champions have also earned no less than £150 million in revenue from player sales.

This income will continue to increase as Chelsea will soon sell left-back Ben Chilwell, who will lose his place to the arrivals of Hato and Axel Disasi, who also play in defence. Chelsea hopes to be able to offload them in this summer's transfer window.

Furthermore, Raheem Sterling, Renato Veiga, Carney Chukwuemeka, Armando Broja, and Lesley Ugochukwu are also on the transfer list for Enzo Maresca's squad. The club is also prepared to let Christopher Nkunku and striker Nicolas Jackson go if the price is right.