Jorrel Hato reality revealed as Enzo Maresca's Chelsea plan takes shape with £37m transfer

Chelsea are on the verge of signing Jorrel Hato from Ajax with the defender set to sign a seven-year contract at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues have reached an agreement on a deal - that football.london understands is worth £37million before add-ons - for the 19-year-old defender to complete a move to west London. Hato was given permission to fly to London to undergo a medical and finalise the transfer after a breakthrough was made on Wednesday.

The Netherlands international is set to be the ninth new face at Stamford Bridge this summer and will provide cover for Marc Cucurella. While absolutely outstanding last season, Chelsea will be hoping to use Cucurella less frequently in the upcoming campaign as they look to avoid an injury problem by overusing the Spaniard.

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The former Brighton defender clocked well over 5000 minutes for club and country throughout the 2024/25 season. After loaning Renato Veiga to Juventus and Ben Chilwell to Crystal Palace in the January transfer window, it left Enzo Maresca rather short on the left-hand side of defence.

Reece James and Malo Gusto were used as makeshift left-backs in the second half of the season. Josh Acheampong, who had a breakthrough season in the Chelsea first team, was also used there. Chelsea, though, now have their man to help Cucurella with the load.

All of which might not have been possible without Francesco Farioli. The 36-year-old Italian, who worked with Hato at Ajax, started to mould the defender into more of a left-back - something that took time, but ultimately paid off.

"Another aspect I really enjoy analysing is how a coach can change a player’s performance by altering their position or by encouraging a different interpretation of the same role," Farioli said in an interview with Cronache di Spogliatoio.

"It's a complex process that involves tempo, attitude, and tactical understanding - and often, the transition from one coach to another can mark a turning point in a player's career.

"Take Hato, for example: he started as a central defender, but under our guidance he became a full-back at national team level. This kind of transformation stems from a detailed analysis of his technical and physical attributes.

"Hato has excellent technical skills, he's physically strong and fast, and he’s good in one-on-one situations. While he may not have a natural defensive instinct as a centre-back, his experience in that role gave him good game reading abilities.

"The club still viewed him as a central defender, but I believe that at the very highest levels - like the Premier League or Real Madrid, for example - a player who stands at (5ft 9ins) will struggle to play centrally, especially in physically demanding duels. In my opinion, his future lies more as a left-back - a position that requires both attacking and defensive qualities and fits better with his characteristics.

"Convincing Hato and his entourage wasn't immediate, nor was persuading the club, which had a different perspective. But with patience, and by explaining the technical and tactical reasoning through video analysis and meetings, we managed to help him adapt to his new role. After a few weeks, the results began to show - even scoring in his first official matches."

Hato is set to join his new teammates at Cobham next week as Chelsea begin their mini pre-season campaign. Due to the Blues' involvement in the FIFA Club World Cup, their preparations for the upcoming season have been cut short. Maresca and his players will return to Cobham on Monday ahead of back-to-back friendlies against Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan later in the week at Stamford Bridge.