AFCON 2025
Erik ten Hag has praised Chelsea’s acquisition of Jorrel Hato, predicting the 19-year-old Dutch defender will become a very successful player at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea finalized a £37 million deal to sign Hato from Ajax last weekend, and the teenager made his debut for Enzo Maresca’s team in a 2-0 pre-season friendly victory over Bayer Leverkusen at Stamford Bridge on Friday night.
Hato, who has already earned six caps for the Netherlands, is widely regarded as one of Dutch football’s brightest young talents.
Ten Hag, who previously coached Hato at Ajax and now manages Leverkusen, believes the defender was the standout performer in the Eredivisie.
“For sure, he misses me at Ajax because they didn’t win the titles in the last couple of years! But the moment I left, he came in, he developed and progressed so good that now Chelsea picked him up,” Ten Hag said.
“For sure, he was one of the best, or maybe the best player, in the Eredivisie. He’s so young but already on a very high level. I’m very sure he will succeed at Chelsea.
“You need some time, but he has a very good mentality, and then he can progress really quickly because he has the potential, because he has all the elements in his game to prove he can be a very successful player.”
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