It has been a sensational start to the summer window for Chelsea Football Club. The Blues returned to the UEFA Champions League after a two-year drought after finishing fourth in the Premier League table, whilst they also ended a four-year trophy drought after beating Real Betis in the UEFA Conference League Final. And whatโs more, they have confirmed their status as the champions of the world after defeating Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the FIFA Club World Cup Final.
Whilst they had previously found themselves under tight financial scrutiny, they look set to extricate themselves from this predicament due to the forthcoming sale of Noni Madueke to Arsenal. This, as well as other imminent departures, will give them the leeway to pursue new signings before being forced into any sales. Moreover, after earning ยฃ84.5 million in prize money from the tournament, Chelsea have even more firepower to splurge big and acquire their top targets.
Chelsea must thin out the squad while also locating areas to improve
All things considered, it looks set to be a case of thinning out the squad and prioritizing quality over quantity for Enzo Maresca as he approaches his second season at the helm. That means finding new homes for returning loanees like Joao Felix, Armando Broja, Axel Disasi and Raheem Sterling, as well as engineering loan moves for many of their young talents. In terms of incomings, there arenโt quite as many pressing needs for the Blues, who have added center forwards Joao Pedro and Liam Delap as well as winger Jamie Gittens to their attack this summer.
One area that will certainly need to be improved, however, is the left-back position. Chelsea entered the 2024/25 season with three left-sided fullbacks, only to end up loaning Ben Chilwell and Renato Veiga out midway through the campaign to Crystal Palace and Juventus, respectively. With no real backup at the left-back position, Marc Cucurella has been forced to deliver week in and week out, tallying up 5,000 minutes between club and international duty.
The Spaniard has thrived on both sides of the ball and emerged as one of the finest left-backs in world football, but at nearly 27 years of age, heโs clearly going to be unable to bear the physical strain that was wielded upon him in 2024/25. It is of the utmost importance that Chelsea sign another left-sided defender this summer and be willing to spend top dollar to get their man.
They should look no further than Jorrel Hato.
Since making his debut in February 2023, Hato has emerged as a vital cog for Ajax as well as an increasingly important member of the Netherlands, and he looks set to become the latest Ajax player to make the move to the Premier League. After becoming the third-youngest player to debut for Ajax in the Eredivisie, Hato was awarded the Abdelhak Nouri Trophy as the most talented player from Ajaxโs youth academy and quickly became one of the first names on the team sheet thanks to his elegance in possession as well as his confidence and fearlessness off the ball.
At just 17 years of age, Hato played nearly every single minute of the 2023/24 season and even wore the captainโs armband for Ajax and became one of their vice-captains. He continued his development in the 2024/25 season under Francesco Farioli, excelling in central defense whilst also providing cover at left back, and whilst he was unable to prevent Ajax from improbably bottling a chance to win the league title, he did enough to be named the Eredivisie Talent of the Year.
Capable of breaking the lines with well-weighted passes and exploiting high presses with his elegant dribbling in tight spaces, Hato is a ball-playing defender in every sense of the word, and heโs more than capable of adjusting to Marescaโs style of play. Itโs these stellar abilities which have seen him draw interest from various Premier League sides like Liverpool and Arsenal, and itโs why Chelsea must act quickly in order to secure his signing.
Hato wouldnโt just be a backup option at left back, but a player who could provide some much-needed depth at the centre back position. With French defenders Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile and Disasi struggling to convince, Chelsea need more guarantees to compete with their English core of Tosin Adarabioyo, Levi Colwill and Trevoh Chalobah, and despite his tender age, Hato is just that: someone who can offer reliably impressive performances. Chelsea should spare no expense in getting this move over the line. They need to quickly advance on Hato in order to avoid missing out on his signing.
