Overview

• Chelsea confirmed on August 3 that Hato agreed a seven-year deal following a reported £37m transfer from Ajax.
• The fee takes Chelsea’s summer outlay past £250m and stretches their three-year defensive investment to a club record £360m.
• Hato arrives with over 100 first-team appearances for Ajax and has been capped six times by the Netherlands.
• Equally comfortable at centre-back or left-back, he provides rotation and competition for Marc Cucurella and Levi Colwill.
• The signing reflects new owners Boehly and Clearlake’s strategy of recruiting elite teenage talent under manager Enzo Maresca ahead of the Premier League and Champions League campaigns.