How good is Jorrel Hato? The Ajax teenage sensation joins Chelsea

Ajax's record at producing top talent through their world-renowned academy stretches back over many decades. Across the years the likes of Johan Cruyff, Dennis Bergkamp, Clarence Seedorf, Edgar Davids & Wesley Sneijder have all emerged from the youth ranks of the Amsterdam club. Whilst the Eredivisie doesn't boast the financial capacities of the the Premier League or LaLiga, the club's production line of homegrown stars are often developed at the club and then sold on for huge profits. Jurrien Timber was one of the latest on that conveyor belt, when he was sold to Arsenal for €40m in the summer of 2023. The latest star to emerge at Ajax is 19-year-old defender Jorrel Hato.

The youngster has already played 111 first-team matches for Ajax and represented his nation, the Netherlands, on six occasions. He is the fifth youngest player of all-time to put on an Ajax first-team shirt, after making his debut at 16-years-old in January 2023, and now, at just 19, Hato is already one of the club's star performers. Able to play at centre-back or left-back, he played 31 league games last term for the four-time Champions League winners, and even contributed two goals and six assists from defence.

And now Hato will get his chance in one of Europe's top-five leagues, with Chelsea confirming his signing this Sunday. The 19-year-old defender has penned a long-term contract at Stamford Bridge through to 2032 and will join up with his new team-mates this week. In a club statement, the Dutch 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."

Who is Jorrel Hato?

Jorrel Hato, at just 19 years of age, was one of Ajax's most consistent players last season. The previous campaign (2023/24), in an admittedly disappointing season for the Dutch club, he was a mainstay at centre-back in the Ajax side. However, last season, under manager Francesco Farioli, Hato was mainly deployed at left-back. The only U19 outfield player playing in the top 10 leagues last season who played more minutes in all competitions than Hato's 3,326, was Barcelona's teenage sensation Lamine Yamal (3,622).

He has been likened to Arsenal's Timber due to his versatility, and capability of playing as a centre-back or a left-back, and in the summer following Timber’s move to North London, Hato was quoted saying, “In any case, the move to Arsenal was a wonderful one for him [Timber]. It is also my dream to one day make such a transfer, but I realise that I still have a very long way to go.” Hato already has a market value of €35 million, and that seems like a figure that will continue to rise.

“His physique is years ahead of him”

Transfermarkt content manager in the Netherlands Kevin Lux tells us more about teenage sensation Hato: “The impact Hato has made so far is the fact that he seems to be very mature for his age. He is just 19 years old, but his physique is years ahead of him. He also has a lot of technical ability in his game, a quality that makes you very popular in Dutch football as a defender. He can dribble, pass and see the game from the defensive line. Apart from that, he still shows the talent of a great defender. 

“There are still some flaws and mistakes in his game, but that's not unusual considering his age. He also is a born leader, proven by the fact that he already was captain at Ajax youth levels on several occasions. He has all the qualities of a potential world class defender. Hato is very comparable with Arsenal defender Timber. Strong in defence, good vision and good passing. He likes to build attacks from the defensive line.”