West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Hakim Ziyech to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.
What’s the talk?
That’s according to Dean Jones, with the transfer insider revealing in a recent column for GIVEMESPORT that David Moyes is still looking to add greater fire-power to his current squad over the remainder of the winter market, and is considering launching an offer for the Chelsea winger – who is reported to be available for a figure in the region of €20m (£17.5m).
However, reports from Italy suggest that the Hammers are not alone in their pursuit of the Morocco international, with both AS Roma and AC Milan also thought to be keen on a move for the 29-year-old forward this month – although it is suggested that neither side can afford the Blues’ current asking price for the attacker.
Payet 2.0
While it is true that Ziyech has somewhat failed to hold a regular spot in the Chelsea XI down since his £36.7m move to Stamford Bridge back in 2020 – starting just 56 of his 98 appearances for the club – the winger has nevertheless still managed to impress during his time in west London.
Indeed, over his 23 Premier League fixtures last season – only 14 of which came from the off – the £22m-rated talent was in fine form going forwards, scoring four goals, registering three assists and creating nine big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 2.3 shots, making 1.3 key passes and completing 1.2 dribbles – at a success rate of 43% – per game.
These returns saw the £100k-per-week trickster average an extremely impressive Sofascore statistical rating of 7.09, ranking him as the Blues’ 12th-best performer in the top flight of English football last time out.
The 29-year-old also caught the eye over his nine outings in the Champions League last term – five of which came as starts – bagging one goal, providing two assists and creating three big chances, as well as taking an average of 1.6 shots, making 1.1 key passes and completing 0.8 dribbles – at a success rate of 35% – per match.
These metrics saw the player who Frank Lampard dubbed an “absolute dream” and Elliot Hackney labelled “unreal” average an incredibly impressive Sofascore statistical rating of 6.97 – playing a key role in Chelsea reaching the quarter-finals of European football’s most prestigious club competition, where they would narrowly lose out to eventual champions Real Madrid.
Furthermore, with Ziyech being able to operate from a number of different positions in both midfield and attack – including central and attacking midfield, on either flank, as a support striker and even as an out-and-out number nine – the Moroccan’s extremely impressive positional versatility would also come as a huge plus for Moyes and his side.
So, with the former Ajax sensation evidently being a huge threat in the final third who is capable of operating from a variety of different positions, as well as a player who is exceptional with the ball at his feet, should Moyes manage to get a deal over the line for the forward this month, he could well have unearthed the Irons’ next Dimitri Payet-esque talent in attack.
As such, considering the fact that Ziyech appears to be available for an extremely reasonable £17.5m this month – roughly £4.5m below his current market valuation – it would seem an extremely wise move for the 59-year-old to launch a late bid for the Chelsea outcast before tomorrow’s deadline, as he may just be rewarded with the discovery of the Irons’ next talismanic winger.
