Chelsea have no interest in strengthening rivals by offering Hakim Ziyech to Newcastle United. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
As quoted by Metro, Ajax boss Alfred Schreuder has ruled out the possibility of Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech returning to Amsterdam this month.
The Morocco international, who was excellent for his nation in the World Cup and made history by being the first nation to reach the semi-final, has been on the fringes at Chelsea.
The former Ajax winger arrived at Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2020 and has struggled for regular game time under either of the three managers he has played under in west London so far.
Here’s what Schreuder said when asked whether Ziyech will return to Ajax this month (h/t Metro):
“No, I do not think so. I think we are well stocked up front. Everyone knows that Hakim is a great player, but he also comes with a price tag. I don’t think that’s our priority at the moment.”
To quantify the lack of game time at Chelsea, Ziyech has played a total of 357 minutes of club football this season so far. In the World Cup alone, he played 638 minutes for Morocco in the space of less than a month in Qatar.
He has been linked with a move to AC Milan in the recent past, but nothing has materialised so far. Before the World Cup, there was a report stating that the 29-year-old is determined to do well in Qatar to impress the Italian side, which would make them trigger the move to sign him.
Legends Roy Keane and Ian Wright talked about how he is so different when playing for Morocco (in a better way), compared to what he has produced for Chelsea thus far.
Unfortunately for Ziyech, a return to Ajax may be off the table after their manager’s comments – if the Moroccan was interested in such a transfer in the first place. Ajax lost Antony to Manchester United this summer but signed Steven Bergwijn from Tottenham Hotspur to balance things out to some extent.
Steven Berghuis, Lucas Ocampos, Dusan Tadic, and Mohammed Kudus are just some of the attacking playmakers/wingers at Schreuder’s disposal.
It is unfortunate that a player of such quality hasn’t been able to cut it at Stamford Bridge. With current injuries to Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic, we may see him more in action in the second half of this season. But, is he really going to stay here beyond this season? the author doesn’t think so.
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