Erik Ten Hag Confident Jorrel Hato Will Shine At Chelsea This Season

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Jorrel Hato, Chelsea's new acquisition, is poised for a promising tenure at Stamford Bridge, according to Erik ten Hag, the former Ajax manager. Hato joined the Blues for £38.6 million (€44.2 million) earlier this month and is anticipated to be pivotal for Enzo Maresca's team this season. This follows Levi Colwill's expected long-term absence due to an ACL injury.

Hato is versatile, capable of playing both centre-back and left-back positions. Last season in the Eredivisie, he made 31 appearances, starting in 30 matches. The 19-year-old scored twice and provided six assists, with only Utrecht's Souffian El Karouani surpassing him in assists among defenders with eight.

Erik ten Hag, now leading Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, narrowly missed witnessing Hato's emergence at Ajax before moving to Manchester United in 2022. Despite this, Ten Hag has monitored Hato's progress and believes he will swiftly adapt to the Premier League environment.

"You always need a bit of time, but he has an excellent mentality, so he can develop very quickly," Ten Hag stated. "He has all the elements, all the qualities in his game to show that he can become a very successful player."

Ten Hag expressed confidence in Hato's future success at Chelsea: "I am convinced that he will be successful at Chelsea." He also congratulated Chelsea on their signing and reflected on missing out on coaching Hato at Ajax.

"I bet he regrets not having me at Ajax," Ten Hag remarked about his departure coinciding with Hato's arrival. He praised Hato as one of the best players in the Eredivisie despite his young age.

Chelsea is set to kick off their Premier League journey this Sunday against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. The match marks the beginning of their campaign following Crystal Palace's Community Shield victory.