Chelsea sign Dutch defender Hato from Ajax
Chelsea have signed Dutch defender Jorrel Hato from Ajax Amsterdam for 44.18 million euros ($51.18 million), both clubs said on Sunday.
Chelsea said the 19-year-old has signed a seven-year long deal and will join his new teammates this week. Hato was named Johan Cruyff Talent of the Year in the Eredivisie last season.
Hato came through Ajax's academy and made his senior debut in January 2023, going on to make over 111 appearances for the club. Hato made his senior debut for the Netherlands aged 17 and has since earned six caps.
"I'm very excited, I'm so happy to be here," Hato said. "I thought a lot about my future and wanted to take the next step in my career. Chelsea is the best place for me to do that."
Chelsea, who finished fourth in the league last season and won the Club World Cup in July, begin their 2025-26 Premier League campaign at home against Crystal Palace on August 17. REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
8 hours ago
- Straits Times
German Mueller signs season-long deal with Vancouver Whitecaps
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Former Germany and Bayern Munich forward Thomas Mueller has signed a season-long deal with Major League Soccer (MLS) side Vancouver Whitecaps, the Canadian club said on Wednesday Mueller, who turns 36 next month, decided to leave Bayern at the end of last season after 25 years with the German champions, helping them win 13 Bundesliga titles and two Champions League trophies. "I'm looking forward to coming to Vancouver to help this team win a championship," Mueller said in a statement. "I've heard great things about the city, but first and foremost I'm coming to win." Mueller made 131 appearances for Germany, scoring 45 goals, and was instrumental in their 2014 World Cup triumph. REUTERS
Straits Times
8 hours ago
- Straits Times
Mercedes upbeat after binning suspension upgrade
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox LONDON - Former champions Mercedes hope to be challenging for wins again when they return from Formula One's August break after binning a rear suspension upgrade that made the car slower. The upgrade was introduced at Imola in May after George Russell had finished in the top three in four of the first six races. The Briton finished only seventh in that Italian race and Mercedes dropped the upgrade for the next two rounds before bringing it back for Canada, a race Russell won. That proved misleading, and Russell struggled in the following four races until Mercedes reverted to the old package for Hungary last weekend and he finished third. Rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli was also back in the points at the Hungaroring, finishing 10th after three races without scoring. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said the upgrade would "be ending up in a bin somewhere. "We were misled a bit by the Montreal win... we came to the conclusion it needed to come off, it went off and the car's back to solid form," said the Austrian. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore MRT track issue causes 5-hour delay; Jeffrey Siow says 'we can and will do better' Singapore ST Explains: What is a track point fault and why does it cause lengthy train disruptions? Singapore Three people taken to hospital after fire in Punggol executive condominium Singapore Elderly man found dead in SingPost Centre stairwell could have been in confused state: Coroner Singapore 81 primary schools to hold ballot for Phase 2C of Primary 1 registration Singapore S'pore and Indonesia have discussed jointly developing military training facilities: Chan Chun Sing Singapore Two workers died after being hit by flying gas cylinders in separate incidents in 2025 Sport Young Lions and distance runner Soh Rui Yong left out of SEA Games contingent Trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin said in a Hungarian GP debrief on Wednesday that the car was now easier to work with and the drivers more confident in attacking the corners. "If we make a new suspension, we're doing it to make the car go quicker... and clearly there's something that wasn't right," he added. "And it's not something that was dead obvious. Otherwise, we wouldn't have had the issue in the first place." Shovlin said the learning would help Russell in his battle with Red Bull's Max Verstappen for third place overall behind the McLaren drivers, and Mercedes chasing second in the constructors'. "Budapest showed that we've got a good car when we land it in the right place," said Shovlin. "And then hopefully there'll be an opportunity to build on our tally of race wins. "We had a great time in Montreal. There's other circuits that are a bit more like that coming up over the remaining 10 races and hopefully we'll have a few more highlights." REUTERS
Straits Times
8 hours ago
- Straits Times
Injured NZ skipper Latham to miss second test against Zimbabwe
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Cricket - ICC World Test Championship Final - India v New Zealand - Rose Bowl, Southampton, Britain - June 23, 2021 New Zealand's Tom Latham looks dejected Action Images via Reuters/John Sibley/File Photo New Zealand captain Tom Latham has been ruled out of the second test against Zimbabwe after failing to recover from a shoulder injury, New Zealand Cricket said on Wednesday. Latham missed the opening test last week, with Mitch Santner stepping in to lead the side to a nine-wicket victory. Santner will continue to skipper the team after Latham failed a fitness test ahead of the second match of the two-test series starting on Thursday in Bulawayo. "It's hugely disappointing to lose Tom again," coach Rob Walter said in a statement. "He's been working hard and had been tracking well towards the second test but unfortunately today he couldn't pass his fitness tests. He's extremely gutted he won't be able to take the park and we're really feeling for him." New Zealand have called up middle-order batter Bevon Jacobs for cover. REUTERS
