What Simons And Hato Bring - And Why Chelsea Are Interested
With just two weeks to go until the opening weekend of the Premier League season, the newly-crowned FIFA Club World Cup champions are still looking to bolster their squad.
As we have become accustomed to under the new BlueCo ownership, the Blues are turning to a pair of Dutch under-23 footballers as they bid to challenge for the title this season.
Jorrel Hato, a 19-year-old defender from Ajax, has all but signed for the West Londoners, while a deal for Xavi Simons remains likely but nothing has been agreed yet.
Hato cost Chelsea £37m whilst the player has already completed his medical and signed a seven-year contract, with the announcement due imminently.
Simons continues to push for a move away from RB Leipzig and has refused to extend his deal that expires in two years, as club-to-club negotiations continue.
What will the Dutchmen bring to the team?
Simons, brought up through the famous La Masia academy, is excellent in possession-based teams - which Chelsea are under Enzo Maresca - due to his passing and dribbling ability making him the ideal creative midfielder.
Whilst this makes him best suited to playing with defences sat in a block in front of him, his devastating pace also makes him a huge threat in turning defence to attack in the blink of an eye.
The midfielder also possesses an eye for goal, as shown in the clip below, and he fits a high-pressing style of football to win the ball back in dangerous areas of the pitch.
THAT Xavi Simons goal 😍#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/v3Oe4jfzP7
— UEFA EURO (@UEFAEURO) July 10, 2025
In the 2024/25 season, Simons got 19 G/A - with his 10 Bundesliga goals the same number as Florian Wirtz registered, who has just joined Liverpool for £116m.
Overall, he has 64 goals and 52 assists in a career that has only spanned 176 games, and at a young age there is still plenty of room left for improvement.
His only weaknesses are physicality - he has a slim frame - and lack of big-game experience, with only 13 Champions League games under his belt due to Leipzig's lack of competitiveness on the big stage.
As for Hato, his versatility is one of his biggest assets - He played at centre-back for most of the 2023/24 season but then moved to left-back last season under a new 433 formation.
Standing at 6ft, the defender is tall for a full-back and has great recovery pace to catch up to attackers running in behind and intercept balls.
He also loves to step out of the back line and progress up the pitch in possession, such are the requirements of a modern footballer, however he does lack some low-centre of gravity for agile turning.
Despite his very young age, he brings leadership qualities to a team already the youngest in the league, having captained Ajax before.
Once again, the glaring uncertainty over the signing is the lack of experience, especially in big games - although he has played more minutes than anyone born after 2003 since the 2023/24 season.
With Joao Felix and Noni Madueke having departed and Christopher Nkunku expected to follow out of the door in the coming weeks, the flanks have opened in the Chelsea roster.
This is ideal for Simons, who loves to start out wide and drift infield, much like Cole Palmer did in his debut season at the club.
As Renato Veiga is also likely to leave and Ben Chilwell miles out of contention, Marc Cucurella is the only left-back at the club.
Similarly, Levi Colwill and Beniot Badiashile are the only left-footed centre-backs, with Badiashile's future in doubt, meaning Hato will be a very useful player for squad depth to cover these areas of weaknesses.
Also, Cucurella inverts into midfield when Chelsea are in possession to create a box midfield; Hato's ability on the ball will suit this tactic if he is played in that position.
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