Chelsea has officially announced that they signed Jorrel Hato, a young and talented player from Ajax. The club paid about €44 million for the 19-year-old defender, and he just signed a seven-year contract with Chelsea.
Jorrel Hato made his first appearance for Ajax back in February 2023 when he was only 16 years old. That made him one of the youngest players ever to play for Ajax. He also became the youngest captain in the club’s history and played over 100 games for them.
Hato is a left-footed defender who played 111 games for Ajax, scored 4 goals, and helped set up 10 more with assists. His transfer fee of €44 million is one of the highest ever paid for an Ajax player, tying with another famous player, Mohammed Kudus.
Ajax and Chelsea FC have reached an agreement over the transfer of Jorrel Hato.
Wishing you all the best in London, Jorrel ♥️
— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) August 3, 2025
Now at Chelsea, Hato will try to earn a spot playing left-back, competing with Marc Cucurella. He can also play in the center of defense, where he will face competition from other players like Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana.
Jorrel Hato’s first chance to play for Chelsea will be in a friendly match against Bayer Leverkusen on August 8th at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea will start their Premier League season at home against Crystal Palace on August 17th.
