“He can reach the top”- Ruud Gullit urges Chelsea star to move to Barcelona

Ruud Gullit has advised Chelsea star Hakim Ziyech to move to Barcelona

Chelsea playmaker Hakim Ziyech has been advised to sign for Barcelona by former Netherlands and Chelsea star Ruud Gullit in order to regain his status as one of the top players in Europe.

For Chelsea, the Moroccan has been a fruitless player who has struggled to place emphasis. Since he has only started two of the club’s nine Premier League games so far this season.

The Blues signed the 29-year-old from Ajax worth £33m in 2020 as he emerged as one of the talented players in Ajax’s run to the Champions League semi-final in the 2018-19 season. However, he couldn’t carry his Ajax form in West London.

And since making his move to Chelsea, Ziyech has only racked up 14 goals and 11 assists in 97 appearances. But his World Cup performance indicated that he would be at his best. However, the player couldn’t translate his World Cup form to the club despite featuring in all the games.

And in an interview with Ziggo Sport (h/tFootball.London), he encouraged the player to move to Barcelona in order to rebuild his credibility.

“The way Ziyech plays for Morocco, I’ve never seen him play for Chelsea. It’s not just him. I think Chelsea have put him in positions that don’t suit him at times. He just needs to play on that side.

“I wonder… I think he comes into his own in Spain, I think. I have the impression that he has never reached the level of Ajax in England. I would like to see him in Spain. He can reach the top. He would also fit well in the Barcelona team.”

The 29-year-old hasn’t lived up to promises, though, and Chelsea don’t seem reluctant to let him go if the appropriate deal comes in. But the player is linked to Newcastle United and AC Milan.

But Barcelona could be the right move too, as the Catalan giants don’t seem to have a backup for Ousmane Dembele, and have shown little faith in Raphinha, as they are considering selling him.

The Spanish club may have the best chance to rebuild lost confidence considering the demands are not as high as the Premier League’s tempo.

Ziyech could reignite his career elsewhere and Barcelona certainly wouldn’t be a shabby place to do it in. However, for a move to take place, all parties have to be on board with this idea.

Unless we seriously bring down Ziyech’s valuation or even let him leave for free, it seems hard to imagine a financially troubled Barcelona pursuing him. They have made it a strategy to go after free transfers and that has served their financial ambitions well.

In addition, Graham Potter could prioritise Mykhaylo Mudryk and Joao Felix over Ziyech, and the 29-year-old would receive little playing time when Christopher Nkunku arrives in the summer. It is clear when a new manager brings in new players in your position, that your playing time could be in jeopardy.

More Chelsea News:

• Sergei Palkin reveals why Mykhailo Mudryk chose Chelsea over Arsenal
• Loaned out Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi to decide his future in the summer
• Graham Potter happy with the debut performance of Benoit Badiashile for Chelsea

Ziyech is only 29 years old, has many years left to play, and needs to decide quickly because, in football, one poor decision could damage your entire career. The move from Chelsea to Barcelona has seemed to work out well for Andreas Christensen, while Marcos Alonso is also having decent action there.

Hopefully, the duo’s exit doesn’t start a trend of our players seeing Barcelona as a club they want to pursue their ambitions at – but in Ziyech’s case, it won’t be a move that hurts. He has slowly become expendable here.