Sport
World Cup success proves Hakim Ziyech is too good to sit on Chelsea’s bench
Few, if anyone, expected Morocco to make a run to the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup yet the North Africans deserve their place in the tournament’s final four. Walid Regragui’s team have conceded just one goal in five matches in Qatar – and that goal was an own goal in a win over Canada. Their defensive strength has been remarkable. However, Morocco have also carried an attacking threat at the World Cup. Portugal found that out to their cost as they suffered a quarter-final defeat to The Atlas Lions. Youssef En-Nesyri scored the winner in that match, but Hakim Ziyech has been Morocco’s primary difference-maker in the attacking third.
Ziyech has become something of a forgotten figure at Chelsea. Signed in the summer of 2020, the Moroccan has struggled to make much of an impact at Stamford Bridge over the last two-and-a-half seasons, starting just one match for Graham Potter’s side in the Premier League this campaign.
This came after Ziyech started just 14 Premier League matches for Chelsea last term. Thomas Tuchel’s departure from Stamford Bridge could have given the 29-year-old a fresh start, but Potter clearly shares the same view of the Moroccan international as his predecessor. Ziyech must leave the club for his own good.
There is quite clearly an elite level player somewhere within Ziyech – his performances for Morocco at the 2022 World Cup demonstrate this. Chelsea, however, is the wrong environment for him. Ziyech must earn a move in January to get his career back on track. He is too good to waste away on the Stamford Bridge bench any longer.
AC Milan were strongly linked with Ziyech in the summer transfer window. The Italian champions opened talks with Chelsea, but no deal was agreed. Six months later, AC Milan continue to be linked with a move for the Moroccan and there’s good reason to believe the San Siro would be a good place for Ziyech to ply his trade.
Stefano Pioli needs another option on the right side of his attack. Olivier Giroud is an effective frontman for AC Milan while Rafael Leao is their primary difference-maker on the left wing, but a rotating cast of players have failed to nail down the position on the opposite flank. This is where Ziyech could make an impact.
Tottenham Hotspur have also been mentioned as potential suitors for Ziyech, although Chelsea might not be so keen to sell a player, even one on the periphery of their squad, to a direct rival. Another recent report claimed Barcelona rejected the chance to sign the 29-year-old in the summer window.
It wasn’t even guaranteed that Ziyech would play at the 2022 World Cup. He refused to play for Morocco under former manager Vahid Halilhodzic, but a change in stewardship before the start of the tournament altered the course of Ziyech’s international career. It’s just as well because he has been exceptional in Qatar.
“He makes an enormous contribution to the Moroccan squad and before this new head coach came in he wasn’t being played, so that says something about the head coach,” said Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal, praising Ziyech for his contribution. “I think it’s great that Morocco has advanced in the World Cup because Morocco is not known for being a top football country.”
Morocco might be known as a top football country once the 2022 World Cup is over. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that Regragui’s team could go the distance in Qatar and Ziyech will be key to their chances of doing that. He must ensure his World Cup form is translated into the club game after the tournament.
