Here’s what you can expect from Hakim Ziyech at Chelsea

Chelsea officially announced a deal to bring Ajax wizard Hakim Ziyech to the club for 40 million Euros, so what can we expect from the Moroccan?

The signing of Hakim Ziyech is one that came almost out of the blue earlier this week. Chelsea made the move official after about 24 hours of concrete rumours – far less than the usual weeks of dragging, fluctuating links that normally surround a blockbuster transfer.

Alas, the Blues are excellent in getting their business done swiftly, and they have now signed their first player under Lampard. Hakim Ziyech has risen to stardom in Europe over the last 18 months or so, most notably with his sublime performances in Ajax’s run to the 2018-19 Champions League semi-final.

The right-winger, who can also play as a number 10, was excellent against the likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Juventus, and Spurs – and against many of those teams, he performed home and away.

Now, he will be playing in the Premier League under Frank Lampard at Chelsea starting next season, but what can we expect from the wizard winger?

The first thing you can absolutely expect is big-game performances. As I mentioned earlier, Ziyech has made a name for himself in the big clashes, where he tends to thrive under the pressure, even when the intensity of the fixture gets very high. He is a high-risk/high-reward player, similar to other Premier League stars Nicolas Pepe, Richarlison, Riyad Mahrez, and Heung-Min Son.

In these sorts of big fixtures, he has the brilliance to make the difference – which is most likely the biggest reason why Chelsea dished out the money for him.

You can also expect wicked creativity and goalscoring ability from the Moroccan. In the Eredivisie this season, he has a whopping 6 goals and 12 assists in just 18 matches, further highlighting his superiority compared to the level of others in the league. His move to Chelsea is well overdue – he is a player that belongs in a top league.

Ziyech might struggle against some of the lower Premier League sides, however. I doubt he has ever faced teams in his club career as well-drilled in a low block as sides like Burnley, Crystal Palace, and Newcastle. You have to wonder whether he can produce the same magic when there isn’t much space to utilize in the final third. This might be an area where his lack of physicality also hinders his ability to shine. You have to be robust and intense for 90 minutes to thrive in the Premier League, and Ziyech’s physique will need to be built up if he is to make the impact he is capable of.

At the end of the day though, Chelsea have got themselves a brilliant player for a relatively modest fee in today’s market. It does make you wonder why other clubs didn’t try to sign him for that price earlier, which could imply some underlying issues with Ziyech as a player (some have raised issues with selfishness). However, Ziyech has shown his quality at the highest level over the past year, and this signing is a no-brainer for the Blues.