Chelsea have already seemingly struck gold when it comes to some of their early summer additions to Stamford Bridge.
Indeed, Joao Pedro couldn’t have wished for a better introduction to life in Chelsea blue after leaving Brighton and Hove Albion out at the Club World Cup, powering home a clinical three strikes from three games, with fellow new attacking recruit Liam Delap also chipping in with a promising assist.
Enzo Maresca will be delighted with how quickly his fresh recruits have got up to speed with the pace of their new side, with more signings now surely in the pipeline.
Chelsea eyeing cut-price deal for new defender
Chelsea have a reputation for a reason when it comes to splashing the big bucks, with £90m already denting the bank account off the back of Delap and Pedro entering the building in quick succession.
An even steeper £78m expense might soon be signed off on, too, with Morgan Rogers deemed a top priority move by the powers that be at West London, on top of other exciting playmakers appearing on their shopping list in the form of Dutch superstar Xavi Simons.
However, not every summer pick-up Chelsea go after has to be the flashiest or the most daring capture, with Footbal.London now reporting that a cut-price deal for Ajax defender Jorrel Hato could be on the table.
Football.London speculates that the Blues are considering a move for the young Dutchman and will try to snap up the services of the 19-year-old gem for a cut-price £40m – even as his Eredivisie employers state they want £60m to part ways.
Chelsea are particularly keen on the defender owing to Renato Veiga potentially heading out the door.
How Hato could be a Palmer repeat at Chelsea
Coincidentally, Cole Palmer cost around the same £40m region when he left Manchester City behind as a wide-eyed youngster attempting to make a name for himself.
It’s fair to say he’s certainly done that – as his glorious solo effort helped his side lift the Club World Cup. They may not be positionally similar but Hato could potentially go on to be Chelsea’s next Palmer; another emerging talent that explodes into life at Stamford Bridge.
Before exploring Hato’s rise in Amsterdam, it’s only right to further analyse how much of a wild ascent Palmer has been on since ditching the Etihad for pastures new in West London.
On the senior books of the Citizens, Palmer only mustered up a meagre eight goal contributions from 41 appearances, making Chelsea’s splurge of £40m on the 23-year-old attacker two years ago look like a rash shot in the dark.
Now, however, he has a mammoth 43 goals and 29 assists next to his name from 97 Chelsea appearances and counting, resulting in his transfer value sitting at a pretty £104m, according to Transfermarkt.
Hato will be dreaming of being the next star to undergo this sharp trajectory; therefore, with the 19-year-old already making significant waves back in his native Netherlands to suggest he has an extremely bright future in the game.
Games played
11
33
31
Goals scored
0
1
2
Assists
0
2
6
Touches*
57.4
94.8
67.2
Accurate passes*
42.6 (91%)
72.8 (93%)
45.2 (90%)
Total duels won*
3.1
5.5
4.1
Clean sheets
1
5
11
If anything, Hato is actually ahead of Palmer’s development now, when the 23-year-old was still situated at City, with three standout seasons already under his belt in the Dutch top-flight.
In a similar manner to Palmer then, the teenage sensation will hope he can arrive in West London and instantly battle it out for starting spot in Maresca’s main side, with the “immense” talent – as he’s been heralded by football talent scout Jacek Kulig – a capable performer both in the heart of defence or as a left-back option.
Further lauded as being “very mature” by ex-Ajax teammate Jordan Henderson, don’t be surprised if Hato becomes a key first-teamer from the get-go if he does spread his wings to England, as another Palmer-like steal excites spectators at Stamford Bridge.
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