The Morocco global will arrive at the summer in time for next season but has a period of adaptation ahead of him based on Blues midfield legend.
Gus Poyet believes that Hakim Ziyech can offer a new reason to watch Chelsea next year but also considers that the Moroccan may also face problems in his early Blues career after his $43m move was finalised in the winter transfer window.
Ziyech was desired in January by Chelsea but Ajax were determined to maintain their forwards until the end of the year since they were competing on three aggressive fronts. They’ve since been knocked from the KNVB Cup and the Europa League but Stay top of the league on goal difference.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have managed to generate back-to-back home wins for the first time since November before the break in play as a result of coronavirus outbreak.
A lot of players have made the step up from the Eredivisie into the Premier League but they’ve had mixed success over the past couple of decades.
“I thought last year that he was outstanding, each time he got the ball you believed something could happen with creating chances and scoring goals,” Poyet informed Target. “He’s more individual than I was!
“He’s more direct but he constantly tries to impact the offensive play of this group that’s exciting for people. When folks go to watch soccer, they pay to see teams triumph but also to see something unique.
“I think he’s that sort of player to bring something to excite people in the stands to have people buying tickets. I was very surprised by the circumstance where he signs four times following January for next year.
In January, people believed Pedro, Willian and [Olivier] Giroud were likely to have an exciting new player to enter.
“We can go through 20 names of players who perform at an extraordinary level in Holland with some playing really well in England but most did not. It is dependent upon how fast he adapts to soccer and life in England.”
Apart from working to signal Ziyech in January, Chelsea were in the marketplace to sign a striker but they could not get any bargains over the line with Giroud having been keen on a move to play more first-team football.
Chelsea tried to signal the 33-year-old Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani from Paris Saint-Germain on a short term basis in January but they could not agree on a deal.
Poyet would have liked to see his compatriot in Stamford Bridge and now believes he should get a club where he’ll start frequently with his contract set to expire in the summer.
“For sure, I’d have like to see any Uruguayan players in England,” he added.
“There are always a desire and passion, that are very welcome in England. It’s necessary to have those players in England. All I need for Cavani is a group where he can play up front as the primary striker every week so he can enjoy his football.
“He’s over 30, after being in large clubs and large cities. He’s good enough to be the primary person at most clubs in the world. I would pick on that but he must decide for him and his loved ones.”
