Who is Jorrel Hato? The Ajax teenage sensation linked with a January move to Arsenal

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It could be a big January transfer window for Arsenal, after their title bid took a huge blow at the end of 2023, with back-to-back defeats to West Ham and Fulham. The Gunners aren't in Premier League action again until they play Crystal Palace at the Emirates on January 20, and they could be as low as fifth when they kick off that day.

Many supporters are screaming out for a striker or goal scoring winger to be signed this January to aid the Gunners attacking efforts, but it seems as though Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal staff may be prioritising bringing in a defender this month, and they could turn to an exciting 17-year-old from the Eredivisie.

Who is Jorrel Hato?

Jorrel Hato, at just 17 years of age, has been one of Ajax's most consistent players this season, in an admittedly disappointing season for the four-time European Cup winners. After breaking into the first team following Jurriën Timber's departure to Arsenal in the summer, the teenager is already beginning to attract interest from Europe's elite clubs. Remarkably, Hato has played every minute of every match for Ajax this season - no other player his age or younger has played more minutes in Europe’s top 10 leagues this term.

He has been likened to Timber due to his versatility, and capability of playing as a centre-back or a left-back, and in the summer following Timber’s move to North London, Hato was quoted saying, “In any case, the move to Arsenal was a wonderful one for him [Timber]. It is also my dream to one day make such a transfer, but I realise that I still have a very long way to go.” Hato already has a market value of €22 million, and has scored and assisted for Ajax this season.

“His physique is years ahead of him”

Transfermarkt content manager in the Netherlands Kevin Lux tells us more about teenage sensation Hato: “The impact Hato has made so far is the fact that he seems to be very mature for his age. He is just 17 years old, but his physique is years ahead of him. He also has a lot of technical ability in his game, a quality that makes you very popular in Dutch football as a defender. He can dribble, pass and see the game from the defensive line. Apart from that, he still shows the talent of a great defender.

“There are still some flaws and mistakes in his game, but that's not unusual considering his age. He also is a born leader, proven by the fact that he already was captain at Ajax youth levels on several occasions. He has all the qualities of a potential world class defender. Hato is very comparable with Arsenal defender Timber. Strong in defence, good vision and good passing. He likes to build attacks from the defensive line.”

Why are Arsenal interested in Hato?

According to The Telegraph, Arteta has identified Hato as a target for this January transfer window. The left-back position has been an issue throughout the season for Arsenal, after their new versatile signing Timber tore his ACL in their opening Premier league game against Nottingham Forest. Oleksandr Zinchenko is fantastic on the ball, able to thread a pass through the eye of a needle and invert to form a double pivot with Declan Rice and start attacks. However, defensively he has been exposed on numerous occasions this season - the latest against Mohamed Salah in their 1-1 draw at Liverpool. Takehiro Tomiyasu has also been trialled in that position, and whilst he possesses outstanding defensive qualities, his ability to receive the ball on the half turn and invert isn’t at the top level.

Full Player Comparison

Kevin Lux believes Hato would be a smart signing for the Gunners, but maybe not this window: “With the question of whether Hato would be a good fit for Arsenal, I would say: probably somewhere in the future. He most certainly is a great talent, but is still only 17 years old and has not even a full season of first team football at Ajax in his bag.

“The last few months, he picked up his form again and started playing better. So my opinion is that he is better to follow the Jurriën Timber path and stay at Ajax for a few more years, until he is the leader of the team, the most respected defender in the Eredivisie, and has shown that he can also perform at the highest level in European football: the Champions League. That will probably take at least another season, considering Ajax' current league position.”