Everton are reportedly keen to sign Ajax’s talismanic Eredivisie play-maker Hakim Ziyech this summer.
Everton fans are really not happy with reports in Calciomercato that they are going head-to-head with West Ham United to sign Ajax play-maker Hakim Ziyech this summer.
Considering that Davy Klaassen has been an almighty flop since he moved to Goodison Park from the Amsterdam giants only last summer, making only three Premier League starts despite costing £24 million, you can see why the supporters are concerned about a move for another Ajax midfielder.
But while Ziyech would face a tough challenge initially shaking off those Klaassen comparisons, anyone who has been watching Dutch football over the last three years will tell you that the Moroccan is a step above anyone in the country – including Everton’s seldom-seen number 20.
25-year-old Ziyech has been Ajax’s best player this season, notching a league-high 13 assists to go with his eight goals. This is better than his 2016/17 tally of seven and 11 while the year before that, at FC Twente, he either scored or assisted 37 of their 49 league goals.
Ziyech is an immense talent who, unlike Klaassen, has the technique, vision and eye for the spectacular that should translate well into any league. Klaassen is a player who can go missing in games but Ziyech bends them to his will, even if he will have to prove that he can make the considerable step up from Holland to England.
A set-piece master and a pure play-maker, Ziyech is the sort of player who reminds us all why we fell in love with football in the first place and he could bring a sprinkling of magic to the blue half of Merseyside.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
