Fair to say, Chelsea have been pretty active in the transfer market in recent years, and this activity is showing little sign of slowing down.
Since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital bought the Blues in 2022, they’ve signed over 40 senior players, costing in excess of £1bn, but are forecast to spend big again this summer.
So, do the West London side now have a highly-rated defender in their sights?
Chelsea's latest centre-back target
According to a report by Kaveh Solhekol of Sky Sports News, Chelsea are ‘seriously considering’ a move to sign Jorrel Hato, a 19-year-old defender who plays for Ajax. The Blues are said to hold a ‘long-standing’ interest in him.
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Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider reports that the soon-to-be-re-crowned Eredivisie champions value the teenager at £40m, a fee the Blues would surely not be shy to pay, given their recent track record.
Kieran King of Football London notes that Hato ‘has established himself as one of Europe’s most talented young defenders’, while Jacek Kulig from Football Talent Scout labels him “immense”, describing him as both a “complete full-back” and a “ball-playing centre-back”.
So, could he be the latest youngster on his way to Stamford Bridge?
Chelsea's current centre-back conundrum
In recent weeks, Levi Colwill and Trevoh Chalobah have emerged as Chelsea’s first-choice centre-back duo, starting three of the last five Premier League matches alongside each other.
Nevertheless, Enzo Maresca has spent the majority of the season chopping and changing his centre-back partnership, as the table below outlines.
Levi Colwill
33
31
31
Trevoh Chalobah*
15
12
10
Wesley Fofana
14
14
14
Tosin Adarabioyo
34
27
13
Benoît Badiashile
18
16
3
*was recalled from a loan spell at Crystal Palace in January
As the table emphasises, Colwill has been, by some distance, Chelsea’s most utilised central defender this season, especially in the Premier League, starting 31 of their 34 league fixtures to date.
His performances have yielded widespread praise, with Simon Johnson of the Athletic labelling him Chelsea’s ‘untouchable figure at the back’, while David Hytner of the Guardian notes that his ‘impressive’ form has earned England recognition.
However, like transfer target Hato, the 22-year-old England international can be both deployed at centre-back and left-back, suggesting they would be vying for the same position, so let’s assess how the duo compare this season.
Appearances
33
47
Minutes
2,880
3,932
Goals
1
3
Assists
1
6
Pass completion %
89.7%
88.5%
Tackles
40
81
Tackles won
34
54
% of dribblers tackled
61.5%
80.4%
Blocks
34
45
Interceptions
34
36
Clearances
104
79
Errors leading to a shot
4
5
Ball recoveries
108
166
% of ground duels won
50.8%
57.6%
% of aerials duels won
59.2%
51.85%
Touches per 90
88
65
As outlined by the table, Hato would represent a massive upgrade on Colwill, especially defensively, with the Dutchman excelling when it comes to tackles, blocks, interceptions, ball recoveries and ground duels this season.
Of course, there will be a question mark as to whether the teenager would be able to thrive at a higher-level; according to Global Football Rankings, the Premier League is the strongest league in the world, with the Eredivisie ranked 12th.
Nevertheless, still only 19 years old, of course, Hato appears to have all the attributes to become a world-class defender, so will he be the latest young talent on their way to West London?
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