Ajax’s 17-year-old defensive sensation Jorrel Hato dreams of playing for English giants Arsenal.
Things haven’t been going according to plan for Ajax of late. They haven’t been at their best for quite some time now. Last season, they finished third in the league and were 13 points behind champions Feyenoord. Things have gone from bad to worse in the 2023-24 season, they are currently in the fight for survival.
The Dutch giants are currently 16th in the Eredivisie with five points out of their six outings. They haven’t won any of their last five matches. However, amidst all this, there is a silver lining in Jorrel Hato. The teenage sensation has been on fire in his very first season with the senior team.
Hato has come through the ranks at Ajax and he made it to their first team before the start of the new season. He already has 25 first-team appearances out of which 10 have come in the 2023-24 season. He has been on the pitch for 900 minutes so far and even has an assist to his name.
He might be just 17 but it feels like he has been present in their back line for a while now. While there are still close to two years left on his current deal with the Dutch club there is already a lot of interest in his services. Meanwhile, the player has recently talked about his desires in an interview with ELF Voetbal.
The teenage sensation said: “I want to win the Champions League, be a starter for the Dutch national team for as long as possible and I hope that one day people will say: ‘That Hato was one of the best defenders of his generation.'”
“The Champions League is a childhood dream, but those other goals have grown over the years. I watched a lot of football, but I never had a specific person as an example. I hope to take a step in my development every year. The goals I years are not very big either, because they are small and realistic goals. Although I must say that I am ahead of my set goals, haha.”
The Dutch youth international wants to play at the top level for years to come. He dreams of winning the Champions League and also wants to serve his national team for as long as possible. Hato dreams of being one of the best defenders of his generation.
While he feels he has small and realistic goals, the 17-year-old believes he is ahead of the goals he has set for himself. The versatile Ajax sensation who can feature in the heart of the defence as well as out wide even talked about how Jurrien Timber is an example for him.
The 17-year-old while talking about the 22-year-old who joined Arsenal from Ajax this summer said: “Unfortunately he was seriously injured in his first Premier League game for Arsenal, but he is still young and has a bright future ahead of him. In any case, the move to Arsenal was a wonderful one for him. It is also my dream to one day make such a transfer, but I realize that I still have a very long way to go.”
Hato said that Timber might be struggling with injuries but he is still young and has a bright future ahead. The move to Arsenal is a wonderful opportunity for him. And, he even added the fact that he dreams of such a transfer someday. The 17-year-old would love to play for the Gunners but he feels there is still a long way to go for that to happen.
