Hakim Ziyech has been tentatively linked with a move to Anfield this summer, and Jurgen Klopp should do everything in his power to make sure he joins Liverpool.
Ajax have told the footballing world that the Moroccan is for sale this summer and that he will be leaving the club. This will be a massive loss for the Dutch side, but Ziyech was promised a move at the start of the season so he will be allowed to move on.
The playmaker has been a phenomenal player for Ajax since he joined from FC Twente in 2016. Over the years, he has caught the eyes of European heavyweights because of his unbelievable awareness, vision, dribbling abilities and his dead-ball expertise. On his day, there are very few defenders who can keep track of his movement, and this was seen in Ajax’s brilliant Champions League campaign where they reached the semi-finals.
In the Eredivisie last season, Ziyech bagged himself an astonishing 16 goals and 13 assists in just 29 appearances. It was him and Dusan Tadic who linked up amazingly together in attack, in particular, making life extremely difficult for their opponents in terms of marking.
With this immense creative talent, he would easily open up Premier League defences with balls through to Liverpool’s attack. The Reds are a much stronger side than Ajax, and with that extra support and better attacking outlets, he would be able to create so much more. Instead of playing balls through to Kasper Dolberg and Tadic, they would be to the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino. This would be rather frightening for other sides to deal with.
He also brings the opportunity to have another brilliant set-piece taker. He is arguably better than Trent Alexander-Arnold at delivering balls from corners or striking free-kicks. Even though it is not something that is urgently needed for the Reds, it is always good to have more set-piece specialists at your disposal. If he were to come to the Premier League, there would be few better strikers of the ball than the Moroccan superstar.
It has been revealed that Ziyech does not have a release clause in his contract at Ajax, which came as a surprise to many. This makes it slightly more difficult to sign him, but seeing as he has been granted a move away, the fee won’t be too extravagant.
Arsenal are also said to be interested, but since strengthening the defence is their main priority and they are only going to have £45 million to spend this summer, it is unlikely they will be able to afford the Ajax player. They will only be able to afford him if they do offload some players to provide the funds.
Liverpool should not wait around, though, as he will be snapped up by another team if they don’t act quickly. He is too good an asset to miss out on, especially if he will not be going for as much money as a player from a higher division.
At 26, Ziyech has so much still to play for, as he has not even reached his prime in terms of development. He will also be hungry and determined to play at the highest level now after so many years of being the best in his club and division.
We just need to wait and see what happens in the next couple of months. Wherever he goes, Ziyech will be a phenomenal signing.
