New Chelsea defender Jorrel Hato revealed he knew it was the right time to take the next step in his career by joining the Blues.

The Blues paid an initial transfer fee of £35.5m plus add-ons to capture the services of Hato.

The 19-year-old then committed his future to the club after signing a seven-year contract at Stamford Bridge.

Hato has spent his entire career at Ajax and has featured 161 for the Dutch giants, while scoring seven goals and grabbing 11 assists in the process.

“It feels strange to leave everybody in Holland, of course, but for me it’s a new journey with new people in a new culture, a new team, new competitions,” Hato told his club’s official website.

“I was really thinking about my future and this is what I wanted. I think I will be a good fit for the way Chelsea are playing, so I was sure about taking my step to Chelsea.

“For sure it was a big decision. I played seven years at Ajax and for me it was home – the people, the players, the coaches, the culture.

“So it was not easy to leave, but my feeling was that at this moment I needed to make a step to the biggest club in the biggest competitions, and for me this was the right decision at the right time.”