GettyImages 2287038562
GettyImages 2287038562
It’s around 10am in Hong Kong. The recreational room at the team hotel is a hive of activity. The sound of a table-tennis ball pinging off the hard surface echoes around the room, while Marco Palestra can be heard laughing with a team-mate as he plays on the PlayStation.
Jorrel Hato walks in shortly after, heads over to our table and offers his hand for a handshake. He’s here to chat to us about life on tour and his aims for the season ahead.
What was pitched to him as an ‘easy five-minute chat' develops into 15 minutes of insightful conversation with a man determined to make an impression under Xabi Alonso this season.
One thing the Dutchman believes works in his favour is his versatility. Hato has featured at centre-back, left-back, wing-back and has inverted into midfield during his time at Chelsea, and with the tactical flexibility Alonso has shown during his managerial career, our No.21 believes he could prove a useful asset for the Spaniard.
Hato training in Australia before we headed to Asia
Hato training in Australia before we headed to Asia
Having needed time to adapt to life at Chelsea after joining from Ajax in the summer of 2025, Hato featured regularly during the second half of last season and hopes to do the same this term.
He explains there are no regrets about his first campaign at Stamford Bridge just as a table-tennis ball whizzes past Josh Acheampong and lands by our feet. Joao Pedro holds up an apologetic hand as Hato returns the ball to where it came.
‘I’ve really enjoyed my time at Chelsea,’ the Dutchman says while keeping an eye on the table-tennis table yards away from us. 'Even though I wasn’t playing too much at the start, I never regretted it. I knew that I’d made a good decision to transfer to Chelsea.
‘I’m really happy with the people here, and with my team-mates. I’m excited to push on. We’ve had a number of coaches during my time here, but under Xabi I think we have a great manager and we have a great opportunity to push for trophies.
‘It’s very early to say that, of course, but I have the faith and the confidence in this team that we could do something special this season.’
Things have started well under Alonso, who led the Blues to a 6-4 win over Western Sydney Wanderers in his first game in charge, before our tour took us from Australia to Hong Kong, where we will face Juventus on Wednesday.
Hato has impressed in our warm-up fixtures and has been utilised as a left-back but also as a left-sided central defender.
He is happy to slot in wherever required and believes he could be an asset for Alonso this season, regardless of what shape we utilise.
‘I think it can help, for sure [playing numerous roles],’ added the Netherlands international, who featured for his country at the World Cup this summer.
‘We know the manager is very flexible with his approach, and we are like that as a team. Whether we play with a back four or a three, there are roles for me because I can play as a centre-back or as a left-back.
‘I’ve also played in midfield and I do like to invert and get involved with the play, so I think I can offer the manager a good option.
‘For me though, it doesn’t really matter. I’m happy to play wherever I’m needed, and whenever I put on the Chelsea shirt, I give my all.’
Midway through our conversation, Hato is distracted by a loud ‘clang’. Joao Pedro has put the table-tennis bat on the table, signalling the end of his game and time for his own interview.
That’s Jorrel’s cue to wrap up this conversation. He shakes our hand again, before getting up and walking to the far end of the table-tennis table. He’s ready for a game before heading to training in Hong Kong for the first time.
It’s clear. The atmosphere around the camp is excellent, with Hato one of the players hoping to benefit from that heading into the season under Alonso.