Ghost Hardware
Well-Known Member
- Aug 31, 2012
- 18,390
- 63,309
Profile time. I have somewhat a backlog of players I’ve wanted to profile on here, being realistic I probably won’t get to many of them because life gets in the way but will try and make a dent when I have a little time. First up is...
Jorell Hato - LCB/LB - Ajax - 18
This season there have been a few 18 year old defenders who have been been causing a lot teams to sit up and take note, the latest of which being Aaron Anselmino At Boca (looks an exiting talent). At the very top of the list is Leny Yoro of Lille, if you haven’t watched him it’s certainly worth giving him a quick Google. The kid looks a very special talent indeed and is already being heavily courted by Real Madrid. The other name causing a stir is Jorell Hato. For those who follow world leagues I’m sure your well aware of him, I’ve mentioned him in passing in this thread and probably others also, but for those who aren’t I figured I write a bit about him because for me he should be near the top of our wish list for the LCB position. I realise there is a slight irony in this as I have often been quite vocal in my concern about recruiting talents from the Eredivisie but to me Hato looks be one of the exceptions to that rule.
Hato actually started in the youth ranks of his hometown club Sparta Rotterdam but was snatched up by Ajax at the tender age of 11. Since joining he has pretty much been a mainstay in every level of the youth set up at Ajax due to his incredible versatility as a player, he even played CM at one point, his strong physique and excellent mentality. Hato progressed through the ranks very swiftly and got his first team debut in January of last year against Den Bosch in the KNVB Cup, he was only 16 at that point. That same season he went on to become Ajax’s third youngest player to ever feature in the Eredivisie after Gravewnberch and Seedorf. This season he became a full fledged starter for Ajax at only 17. Ajax do often rely on their excellent youth set up but Hato has proven himself to be on another level. One reason for his meteoric rise through the team is his incredible maturity and he even became Ajax’s youngest ever captain this season when Bergwijn, their current captain, was subbed of in the 67th min against Almere City. The previous record holder was De Ligt at 19. Hato went on to become Ajax’s youngest ever European captain as he lead the team to a 3-1 win against AEK Athens in the EL. Hato’s maturity goes beyond his performances on the pitch, after a 2-0 loss to AZ Hato had this to say “The way I see it, this loss isn’t about the tactics or formation. We just lost all our duels.” That to me show a very developed understanding of the nature of the sport.
Although primarily a LCB he is equally comfortable playing LB when needed, this versatility has made him somewhat of a mainstay for Ajax this season. Hato really is a beacon in what has been another awful campaign for Ajax. To Say Ajax are a mess would be an understatement of grand proportions. They started the season under Maurice Steijn, who was Ajax’s third manager in two seasons. He was subsequently fired 4 months later with Ajax siting at the bottom of the table. Since then Ajax have appointed interim John van't Schip who has managed to get them up to 5th in the league. Its still a disaster of a season but could be worse, in general performances have improved under Schip with Ajax looking more like their high press, high line, high intensity selves. He will be leaving in the summer tho so who knows what happens next season. The reason I mention this in great detail is that its worth taking into consideration when looking at how incredibly well, despite this turmoil, Hato has not only adapted to first team football but become a key figure in an incredibly fragile Ajax team.
Ajax started the season playing a more standard 433 but since the change of manager have switched between a 433 and a 3421. Ether way Hato has been a regular in that LCB position. Tactically Ajax sit very high up the pitch when in possession, really not too dissimilar to us, with both CB’s often moving into the opposition half. This is a role Hato thrives in and will often be the CB most involved with the attacking play. Its this comfort on the ball in high positions that has resulted him playing LB 7 times this season including a 2-0 loss to Brighton in the EL.
Defensively what i find most remarkable about Hato is his very impressive ability to read the game. For someone so young his football intellect is remarkable. It’s his ability to see how an attack is developing in front of him that allows him to step up out of defence and put a foot in before it builds up too much momentum. This is something he will often do and do it very well. What is also noticeable about this is that although he can be very aggressive in positioning and tackling, in such situations he will rarely go though a player and draw a foul. He is rarely rash and despite being such a proactive defender has only picked up 4 yellows all season which to me is impressive for someone so young playing in such a defensively exposed system. He also rarely goes to ground and will prefer to stay on his feet, if he is unsuccessful in snatching the ball he will do enough to force the ball back before he himself drops back into defence. Again his football intellect is displayed in his excellent positioning and decision making. Considering Ajax play such a high line, as we know ourselves, positioning is key. This is again one of the things Hato excels at, he is very good at knowing when to move forward or when to drop back. Playing in a very high line is completely natural for him. From a physical perspective despite being incredibly young he is already strong and has no problem using his body to take control of a situation when needed.
Another big positive of Hato is he only turned 18 this March, yes he has played most of this season as a 17 year old. This would mean were he to join this summer he would be considered HG in the future.
At the bottom I have posted two videos that show all his touches in two individual matches. One from the beginning of the season where he plays in a back 4 and another halfway though in a 3. Unfortunately it more highlights his defensive prowess then his attacking talents. What they don’t really show is his quality on the ball to any real extent although he still looks very assured in both. For that reason I also added a more atypical “this is why xx want him” style vid where you can see some flashes of his dribbling flair. In possession this kid oozes confidence. He loves being involved with the build up of an attack and is more then happy with the ball at his feet. It’s not uncommon to see him drop a shoulder, run with the ball up through the opposition’s midfield and maybe role the ball under his foot in the process. As for passing he is also extremely adept in this department. He posses good vision and isn’t adverse to being more adventurous. He has a good weight to his passing and in time I think its a skill he could develop to a very high level. Bellow is graph from earlier in the season of all his progressive passes to give you an idea of his range and area’s he operates in…
Talking speed. Considering our tactics I almost feel pace is deserving of its own sub heading especially when discussing defenders. Hato has been clocked in around 29.4 km/h making him the fourth fastest CB in the league. Josip Šutalo, Hato’s defensive partner being the fastest clocking in around 30.1 km/h. By comparison VDV clocks in at an insane 37.38 km/h whilst the other fastest in the PL are all around 36/35 km/h. Point is Hato is reasonably fast but not electric quick. Watching him I think its more the acceleration then his top speed that could possibly cause him issues in a faster league, not that he’s slow to get off the blocks but still. Having only just turned 18 tho his body is clearly still developing so he might well get quicker. He is unlikely to ever be a speedy defender but I also think his other skills make this less of a problem and he isn't slow.
Statistically he matches the eye test and then some. Instead of quoting I’m just gonna stick in a screen shot. On the left (first one on mobile) are his stats in the league and on the right (bottom one) are his stats in the EL. You can see he isn’t as dominant in the EL but still put in some very good numbers considering his age and the system he plays in. Even if you compare him to FB’s in the EL he is still in the 75th percentile for successful take on’s and 96th percentile for passes complete which is not too shabby at all for a then 17 year old.
On a more negative side. As i mentioned he is very confident in possession and i think at times that confidence breads overconfidence and he can on occasion try too much. He’s also very young and although it’s easy to be deceived by how comfortably he has adapted to being a starter in a high defensive line I do think a slight naivety does come through at times. Its an odd one because on the one hand i think he needs another season starting but on the other I think he would learn a lot from playing in a though league alongside better players. Beyond that he will probably be expensive, he originally had a contract running until 2025 but Ajax extended it recently until 2028 precisely so they could be in control of the situation when teams come calling this summer, which they will. Hato himself said after signing that he was happy to stay and develop but I also think Ajax would accept a fee if it matched their valuation. I guess there is also a question of hight, Hato isn’t short but he isn’t tall ether, he is 5’11” which doesn’t make him an imposing figure aerially. Also to consider is Harto is incredibly good for his age and will have his eye on eventually being a starter for Holland, I’m not sure how he would feel about coming in to essentially be back up to his competition for the starting spot in the in the national team. Not that he would be expecting to be a starter yet but even so I’m sure that might play on his mind.
Its still very early days for Hato but from what i have seen he looks to have world class potential. I asked my Dutch mate who has a season ticket for Ajax and all he said “might be the best CB we have ever developed but needs a good environment to maximise his potential” then he freaked out and said “hang on, you better not be looking at him”. I think for us there is a question of hight and speed but I also think his rather incredible ability to read the game and his positioning will help him cover over any deficiencies especially in the pace department. On the one hand it might be too early for him to move to a team like Spurs and play a major role but on the other he has shown thus far in his career an incredible ability to adapt seamlessly to each step up he has made. I think its important to keep in mind this kid only just turned 18 and thus still has a lot of space to developed yet already posses abilities of a player several years his senior.
All in all I realise that he is probably an unrealistic target when taking into consideration his likely price plus I feel we will want someone who has played more then one season of professional football. He is probably just a slight bit too green for Ange. He’s also supposedly being chased by Arsenal, who have a good relationship with Ajax, and Liverpool so it would probably be a hard deal to do. BUT considering his maturity, how technically adept he is and how well he reads the game at such a young age plus the fact i think he could play good amount at LB in our system and with his eventual HG status makes me think it would be worth trying to pursue.
Probably and unlikely target but one I think has a very very bright future ahead of him.
As always, thanks for reading
Jorell Hato - LCB/LB - Ajax - 18
This season there have been a few 18 year old defenders who have been been causing a lot teams to sit up and take note, the latest of which being Aaron Anselmino At Boca (looks an exiting talent). At the very top of the list is Leny Yoro of Lille, if you haven’t watched him it’s certainly worth giving him a quick Google. The kid looks a very special talent indeed and is already being heavily courted by Real Madrid. The other name causing a stir is Jorell Hato. For those who follow world leagues I’m sure your well aware of him, I’ve mentioned him in passing in this thread and probably others also, but for those who aren’t I figured I write a bit about him because for me he should be near the top of our wish list for the LCB position. I realise there is a slight irony in this as I have often been quite vocal in my concern about recruiting talents from the Eredivisie but to me Hato looks be one of the exceptions to that rule.
Hato actually started in the youth ranks of his hometown club Sparta Rotterdam but was snatched up by Ajax at the tender age of 11. Since joining he has pretty much been a mainstay in every level of the youth set up at Ajax due to his incredible versatility as a player, he even played CM at one point, his strong physique and excellent mentality. Hato progressed through the ranks very swiftly and got his first team debut in January of last year against Den Bosch in the KNVB Cup, he was only 16 at that point. That same season he went on to become Ajax’s third youngest player to ever feature in the Eredivisie after Gravewnberch and Seedorf. This season he became a full fledged starter for Ajax at only 17. Ajax do often rely on their excellent youth set up but Hato has proven himself to be on another level. One reason for his meteoric rise through the team is his incredible maturity and he even became Ajax’s youngest ever captain this season when Bergwijn, their current captain, was subbed of in the 67th min against Almere City. The previous record holder was De Ligt at 19. Hato went on to become Ajax’s youngest ever European captain as he lead the team to a 3-1 win against AEK Athens in the EL. Hato’s maturity goes beyond his performances on the pitch, after a 2-0 loss to AZ Hato had this to say “The way I see it, this loss isn’t about the tactics or formation. We just lost all our duels.” That to me show a very developed understanding of the nature of the sport.
Although primarily a LCB he is equally comfortable playing LB when needed, this versatility has made him somewhat of a mainstay for Ajax this season. Hato really is a beacon in what has been another awful campaign for Ajax. To Say Ajax are a mess would be an understatement of grand proportions. They started the season under Maurice Steijn, who was Ajax’s third manager in two seasons. He was subsequently fired 4 months later with Ajax siting at the bottom of the table. Since then Ajax have appointed interim John van't Schip who has managed to get them up to 5th in the league. Its still a disaster of a season but could be worse, in general performances have improved under Schip with Ajax looking more like their high press, high line, high intensity selves. He will be leaving in the summer tho so who knows what happens next season. The reason I mention this in great detail is that its worth taking into consideration when looking at how incredibly well, despite this turmoil, Hato has not only adapted to first team football but become a key figure in an incredibly fragile Ajax team.
Ajax started the season playing a more standard 433 but since the change of manager have switched between a 433 and a 3421. Ether way Hato has been a regular in that LCB position. Tactically Ajax sit very high up the pitch when in possession, really not too dissimilar to us, with both CB’s often moving into the opposition half. This is a role Hato thrives in and will often be the CB most involved with the attacking play. Its this comfort on the ball in high positions that has resulted him playing LB 7 times this season including a 2-0 loss to Brighton in the EL.
Defensively what i find most remarkable about Hato is his very impressive ability to read the game. For someone so young his football intellect is remarkable. It’s his ability to see how an attack is developing in front of him that allows him to step up out of defence and put a foot in before it builds up too much momentum. This is something he will often do and do it very well. What is also noticeable about this is that although he can be very aggressive in positioning and tackling, in such situations he will rarely go though a player and draw a foul. He is rarely rash and despite being such a proactive defender has only picked up 4 yellows all season which to me is impressive for someone so young playing in such a defensively exposed system. He also rarely goes to ground and will prefer to stay on his feet, if he is unsuccessful in snatching the ball he will do enough to force the ball back before he himself drops back into defence. Again his football intellect is displayed in his excellent positioning and decision making. Considering Ajax play such a high line, as we know ourselves, positioning is key. This is again one of the things Hato excels at, he is very good at knowing when to move forward or when to drop back. Playing in a very high line is completely natural for him. From a physical perspective despite being incredibly young he is already strong and has no problem using his body to take control of a situation when needed.
Another big positive of Hato is he only turned 18 this March, yes he has played most of this season as a 17 year old. This would mean were he to join this summer he would be considered HG in the future.
At the bottom I have posted two videos that show all his touches in two individual matches. One from the beginning of the season where he plays in a back 4 and another halfway though in a 3. Unfortunately it more highlights his defensive prowess then his attacking talents. What they don’t really show is his quality on the ball to any real extent although he still looks very assured in both. For that reason I also added a more atypical “this is why xx want him” style vid where you can see some flashes of his dribbling flair. In possession this kid oozes confidence. He loves being involved with the build up of an attack and is more then happy with the ball at his feet. It’s not uncommon to see him drop a shoulder, run with the ball up through the opposition’s midfield and maybe role the ball under his foot in the process. As for passing he is also extremely adept in this department. He posses good vision and isn’t adverse to being more adventurous. He has a good weight to his passing and in time I think its a skill he could develop to a very high level. Bellow is graph from earlier in the season of all his progressive passes to give you an idea of his range and area’s he operates in…
Talking speed. Considering our tactics I almost feel pace is deserving of its own sub heading especially when discussing defenders. Hato has been clocked in around 29.4 km/h making him the fourth fastest CB in the league. Josip Šutalo, Hato’s defensive partner being the fastest clocking in around 30.1 km/h. By comparison VDV clocks in at an insane 37.38 km/h whilst the other fastest in the PL are all around 36/35 km/h. Point is Hato is reasonably fast but not electric quick. Watching him I think its more the acceleration then his top speed that could possibly cause him issues in a faster league, not that he’s slow to get off the blocks but still. Having only just turned 18 tho his body is clearly still developing so he might well get quicker. He is unlikely to ever be a speedy defender but I also think his other skills make this less of a problem and he isn't slow.
Statistically he matches the eye test and then some. Instead of quoting I’m just gonna stick in a screen shot. On the left (first one on mobile) are his stats in the league and on the right (bottom one) are his stats in the EL. You can see he isn’t as dominant in the EL but still put in some very good numbers considering his age and the system he plays in. Even if you compare him to FB’s in the EL he is still in the 75th percentile for successful take on’s and 96th percentile for passes complete which is not too shabby at all for a then 17 year old.
On a more negative side. As i mentioned he is very confident in possession and i think at times that confidence breads overconfidence and he can on occasion try too much. He’s also very young and although it’s easy to be deceived by how comfortably he has adapted to being a starter in a high defensive line I do think a slight naivety does come through at times. Its an odd one because on the one hand i think he needs another season starting but on the other I think he would learn a lot from playing in a though league alongside better players. Beyond that he will probably be expensive, he originally had a contract running until 2025 but Ajax extended it recently until 2028 precisely so they could be in control of the situation when teams come calling this summer, which they will. Hato himself said after signing that he was happy to stay and develop but I also think Ajax would accept a fee if it matched their valuation. I guess there is also a question of hight, Hato isn’t short but he isn’t tall ether, he is 5’11” which doesn’t make him an imposing figure aerially. Also to consider is Harto is incredibly good for his age and will have his eye on eventually being a starter for Holland, I’m not sure how he would feel about coming in to essentially be back up to his competition for the starting spot in the in the national team. Not that he would be expecting to be a starter yet but even so I’m sure that might play on his mind.
Its still very early days for Hato but from what i have seen he looks to have world class potential. I asked my Dutch mate who has a season ticket for Ajax and all he said “might be the best CB we have ever developed but needs a good environment to maximise his potential” then he freaked out and said “hang on, you better not be looking at him”. I think for us there is a question of hight and speed but I also think his rather incredible ability to read the game and his positioning will help him cover over any deficiencies especially in the pace department. On the one hand it might be too early for him to move to a team like Spurs and play a major role but on the other he has shown thus far in his career an incredible ability to adapt seamlessly to each step up he has made. I think its important to keep in mind this kid only just turned 18 and thus still has a lot of space to developed yet already posses abilities of a player several years his senior.
All in all I realise that he is probably an unrealistic target when taking into consideration his likely price plus I feel we will want someone who has played more then one season of professional football. He is probably just a slight bit too green for Ange. He’s also supposedly being chased by Arsenal, who have a good relationship with Ajax, and Liverpool so it would probably be a hard deal to do. BUT considering his maturity, how technically adept he is and how well he reads the game at such a young age plus the fact i think he could play good amount at LB in our system and with his eventual HG status makes me think it would be worth trying to pursue.
Probably and unlikely target but one I think has a very very bright future ahead of him.
As always, thanks for reading
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