Chelsea have confirmed that Champions League winner Ben Chilwell no longer has a squad number, with 21 being passed to new signing Jorrel Hato.
Teenager defender signed from AjaxCould provide cover for injury ColwillAnother snub for England star ChilwellFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
As the Blues continue to spend big, a further £38 million ($51m) has been invested in versatile Dutch defender Hato. He has arrived from Eredivisie giants Ajax and slots straight into Enzo Maresca’s plans at Stamford Bridge.
AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
The expectation was that Hato would provide left-back cover for Marc Cucurella, but an unfortunate ACL injury suffered by Levi Colwill means that the 19-year-old Netherlands international could line up at centre-half.
WHAT HATO SAID
Hato, who is poised to make his Blues bow in a friendly date with Bayer Leverkusen, has said of taking on a new challenge in England: "I’m very excited and so happy to be here. 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 so I’m very happy."
Getty Images SportDID YOU KNOW?
It has been revealed that Hato will be inheriting the No.21 jersey at Chelsea. That shirt has previously been donned by the likes of Salomon Kalou, Nemanja Matic, Ryan Bertrand, Jody Morris and Hernan Crespo.