Fabrizio Romano has stated on his YouTube channel that Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech has a ‘serious chance’ of leaving the club either in January or the summer.
Just under a month ago, Calciomercato reported that AC Milan were ‘confident’ they could land the Moroccan international.
Ziyech is currently at the World Cup with Morocco, they’re through to the quarter-finals after beating Spain on penalties. The 29-year-old has two goal contributions in the tournament so far, netting against Canada, and assisting in the clash with Belgium.
Romano said the deal is ‘one to watch’ and expects a move to happen, sooner rather than later.
He stated: “This player is great and he needs to play. This is the point. In the summer, he had a chance with AC Milan, then with Ajax, but Chelsea only wanted a permanent transfer, not a loan.
“But I think that in 2023 – January or summer – he will have a serious chance to leave Chelsea and have a new opportunity, so Hakim Ziyech could be one to watch on the market already in January.
“He wants to try something different, and when he plays on a consistent basis, he’s showing how good he is as always.”
TIF Thoughts on Romano’s comments…
We believe that Ziyech needs to leave Chelsea, it’s clear that he’s not in the plans of manager, Graham Potter.
He’s only played five times in the Premier League this season and he’s yet to register a goal or an assist. Which is simply not enough gametime for him to showcase his talents.
Not only has Ziyech performed well at the World Cup, achieving a 7.5 rating against Canada and a 7.4 rating against Belgium, per Sofascore, but he’s shown that he has competent defensive capabilities.
So far in the tournament, Ziyech has averaged 1.3 interceptions and two tackles per game. When you compare that with his Premier League campaign with Chelsea, he’s only averaged 0.6 interceptions and 1.4 tackles per game. Another club could really get the best out of the 29-year-old.
Based on his performances and stats at the World Cup, Ziyech could be a real asset to a number of sides. January would be the perfect opportunity for the Moroccan to leave and find a new club.