Chelsea’s official X account shared a 69-second interview with Jorrel Hato following his memorable first objective for the membership throughout the 5-1 FA Cup third-round victory over Charlton Athletic. The win secured Chelsea’s place within the fourth spherical and marked an encouraging early second in Liam Rosenior’s tenure, as detailed by SoftFootball.
For Hato, the evening carried private significance as he opened his Chelsea account in sudden vogue. The 19-year-old defender, signed from Ajax for €46.5 million in August 2025, discovered the web with a deflected long-range strike whereas working in a sophisticated position.
His efficiency got here simply days after Rosenior formally started work with the squad, a transition SoftFootball highlighted when reporting on the coach’s constructive begin to life at Stamford Bridge. Regardless of being deployed primarily as a left again, Hato ceaselessly drifted into central attacking areas, exhibiting the tactical flexibility Chelsea are starting to encourage.
Talking in regards to the objective itself, Hato admitted the end caught him off guard. He defined that the dearth of celebration mirrored his personal disbelief at seeing the ball fly in.
He mentioned:
Yeah, I used to be a bit bit stunned as nicely when it went in. I believe that’s why I didn’t actually have a good time. However yeah, I used to be very pleased, I used to be very pleased. I believe it bounced and hit the highest nook, so I’m very pleased.
Hato additionally opened up on adapting to a extra superior position, one thing he first encountered beneath former head coach Enzo Maresca. Shifting from a conventional defensive full-back place at Ajax to entering into quantity 10 areas has required adjustment, however he sees it as a part of his growth.
He mentioned:
At the start, after all, it was completely different for me as a result of at Ajax I solely performed as a defensive full-back. With Maresca, I performed on this place as nicely, however I believe I’m nonetheless studying how actually to play the place. I believe it’s getting higher and higher day-after-day.
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On Rosenior’s early affect, Hato revealed that readability has been the precedence regardless of restricted time collectively. He highlighted the significance of communication and construction in serving to gamers perceive expectations.
Yeah, we did quite a lot of conferences for him, as a result of he actually needed to indicate us the best way he performs and what he asks from us. After all, it’s a very brief time—two days—however I believe it was a great response from us in these two days to win right here.
For Chelsea supporters, Hato’s composed reflections provided one other signal of a younger participant settling rapidly into a brand new chapter, each personally and collectively.
