As part of an update from The Athletic’s Simon Johnson, the reporter spoke about Chelsea’s current focus in the market. According to Johnson, even the current focus of Xavi Simons and Jorrel Hato doesn’t mean the Blues are done spending in this window, meaning they could pick up even more talent before they return for pre-season training.
Chelsea Not Done Yet Despite Reports of ‘Done Deal’
One Deal Over The Line
While The Athletic mentions that the focus is on the Dutch pair, one report has gone even further. Nicolo Schira has said that Hato is a “done deal” with a price in the range of £43 million on a long term deal into the 2030s. This would mean that the Simons deal is the only thing yet to get over the line.
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Schira’s reliability has been spotty at times but it does back up what’s said by Johnston about the Blues focusing on getting the Dutch duo over the line before focusing elsewhere.
Good Deal & Maresca’s Importance
According to Schira, Enzo Maresca saw the defender as one of his main targets. This is likely due to his flexibility to play as either a left-back or centre-back. He would allow for some tactical versatility from the Italian coach being able to move up wide, invert into the middle, or even tuck in as the wide left member of a back three.
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Across his over 100 appearances for Ajax, the youngster has played as many matches in the middle as he has out left, notching some assists and showing a pretty decent rate of pass completions as well as a decent passing range. Being comfortable on the ball is a pretty big thing under Maresca, which is likely why the Ajax man was targeted so heavily. He can also provide some cover for the overworked Marc Cucurella who has been a superstar for the Blues over the past year after coming off of a deep Euro 2024 run.
