Chelsea shouldn’t entertain Hakim Ziyech transfer offers

Chelsea should not entertain any offers to sell Hakim Ziyech to any club this summer. The Moroccan magician will be a tremendous asset to Thomas Tuchel’s side in 2021/22 and he should stay right where he is. Judging a player acquired last season amidst the worldwide calamity of COVID-19 and all that went with that dreaded affliction makes little sense whatsoever. Instead, Ziyech’s talents should be gauged on what he did in an Ajax shirt, as well as the great moments last season.

Players who joined Chelsea—and for that matter, many other sides—had to cope not only with tremendous cultural change, but also with the most unprecedented health situation of our lifetime. The request to cut these players some slack has been asked by many, yet more critical analysts are calling for these individuals to be shipped out due to their underperforming in campaigns. In all cases, that’s probably a bad idea and in the case of Ziyech specifically, it’s especially so. The Blues’ influx of stars was a masterstroke by the club. Yet, in the midst of the day-to-day tumult of the COVID-19 world, all bets should have been off on the performance of any of these players.

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Chelsea should not listen to offers for its newest stars, including Hakim Ziyech.

Most poignant of all in this group was probably Kai Havertz. He not only had to make the transition to England, the league and a new team, but he also contracted Coronavirus. Watching Havertz excel late in the season, win the Champions League with a brilliant goal, and then follow that with scintillating form in Euro 2020 has hopefully put all the balderdash about his earlier performance to rest once and for all. He was magnificent and he is just beginning to scratch the surface of his talents. Yet, some observers were willing to jettison the young player before he has had any real chance whatsoever to perform in any kind of normal situation.

Also in that same boat were Timo Werner and Ziyech. Werner is in a scoring funk, no doubt about it, yet he still had 27 goal contributions in all competitions for the Blues last season. That haul would have been a fine season for most players, but Werner was judged harshly because of his previous success in a league that is far different than the rough and tumble, top-class grouping that is Premier League. He needed the adjustment period, and next season he should be ready to shine. Look for a 20-goal season for certain.

As for Ziyech, his talents are not debatable. He’s a tremendous passing talent whose crosses are fantastic. One problem was no striker was there to get under most of those crosses last season. No worries though as the Moroccan can and will score his share of goals himself with that magnificent left foot. Combine his talents with a firing on all cylinders Werner, Havertz and Christian Pulisic next season and the goals will be flowing for certain. Should Chelsea actually be able to get an elite No. 9 this summer, this side will explode with goals. The nail-biting games will be few and far between.

Ziyech should go nowhere except to Chelsea’s right forward position. It is up to Tuchel to figure out just how to utilize all the tremendous talent at his disposal in 2021/22. He has the horses now to have a rotation that would be the envy of most sides in the world, even without any additions. These talents—assuming they stay healthy and are managed correctly—will be lighting up the Premier League and any other competition in which they are engaged. With Werner, Havertz, Ziyech, Hudson-Odoi and Pulisic all experiencing down seasons last year, let’s put this all into perspective. If each of these players just achieves 75 percent of what they’re used to doing and are capable of in a more normal time, Chelsea will experience massive improvements in its attack.

The Blues should totally shelve the impatience and poor decision-making that led to the premature transfers of elite talents like Romelu Lukaku, Mohamed Salah, and of course, Kevin De Bruyne. They should not listen to the naysayers who criticize now and eat crow later; 2020/21 was a year unlike any since World War II. It was a massive shock to the entire world and like everyone else, it severely impacted players. Yet, amidst all that, they carried home the ultimate prize, the Champions League trophy. The best is yet to come though.

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