Ajax took the European and world football circuit by storm this season as they defied the odds to reach the Champions League semi-finals. They were seconds away from reaching the finals, but Tottenham Hotspur dashed their hopes. Nevertheless, the Dutch side is back as one of the elite teams of Europe, and amidst all this, their star players are being linked with clubs with deeper pockets.
One player who has been linked with various clubs has been winger Hakim Ziyech. Recently the 26-year-old revealed that playing for Arsenal is his dream. He was quoted as saying to AjaxTV (Via The Express), ”Well, I have two clubs. They are Arsenal and Barcelona. That is my ultimate dream.”
Ajax’s director of football Marc Overmars revealed that the Moroccan will up for sale in the summer transfer window. He said, ”He leaves when a top club comes. Many big clubs are buzzing around him. We promised Hakim [that we would] agree to a good transfer.”
Reports mention that the winger has his release clause set at just £25m and we feel that Arsenal should go all out to sign the Moroccan star. Ziyech has had a fantastic season as he managed 21 goals to go with 24 assists in 49 appearances in all competitions this season. Those are some staggering numbers, and for the price which he is available, Arenal should not think twice about signing him.
The Gunners are currently being linked with a move for Wilfried Zaha as signing a winger is a must for Unai Emery as he only has Alex Iwobi in his squad who can be termed as an outright winger. Crystal Palace are set to demand £80m for the Zaha which should be out of bounds for the Gunners. We believe that they should turn their focus on Ziyech after the recent revelation from the 26-year-old.
What makes Ziyech special?
Ziyech plays down the right flank as an inverted winger and his link-up play and finishing in the final third has been fantastic. Almost all the wingers have decent pace and dribbling skills, but what really matters for the team is their ability to affect play in the final third. Ziyech’s link-up play in tight spaces is impressive, and his goalscoring record speaks for itself about his finishing skills.
To go with that, the winger also showcases impressive work rate which Unai Emery often demands from his players and Arsenal can land the bargain of the summer for £25m if they are able to convince him to join at the Emirates.
What does Arsenal need to do to lure him?
However, for that to happen, it is imperative for the club to win the Europa League final as we don’t see Ziyech moving for a club who cannot offer Champions League football.
