Chelsea could sell summer signing as Serie A giants show interest

 

Selling a player after one season at the club will appear like a mistake from the club, but it can actually happen if a new tactician is hired and doesn’t fancy the player for whatever reason.

Moroccan international Hakim Ziyech has been in and out of the Chelsea team since German tactician Thomas Tuchel took charge at Stamford Bridge and he didn’t do much when handed the chance to prove himself to the new sheriff in town, especially against Championship side Barnsley on Thursday night.

Ordinarily, a player of his caliber, known for his finishing, dribbling, long passes would grab such an opportunity to prove himself to the new boss against a Championship side, but he failed to convince Tuchel that he deserves a place in the first eleven.

To be fair to the 27-year-old attacking midfielder, the entire Chelsea side struggled on the night, and the pitch at Barnsley didn’t help the situation of the Blues, but there are several attacking alternatives at Stamford Bridge - Christian Pulisic, Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, Hudson Odoi - and the former Ajax star could soon find himself sitting on the substitute bench week in week out if he fails to take chances like these.

Upon his departure from Amsterdam, where he’s had his best club career so far, the Chelsea winger was named Ajax Player of the Year for the third time in a row. The Morocco winger was outstanding last season under coach Erik ten Hag at Ajax, scoring 9 goals and creating 18 in all competitions before the Dutch Eredivisie, which had huge odds covering every single game, was annulled as a result of the pandemic.

Hakim Ziyech joined the Amsterdam based club from rivals Twente in 2016, - scoring 30 goals in 68 appearances - and during his four-year spell at Ajax, he won the Player of the Year award on three occasions – 2017/18, 2018/19, and 2019/20 seasons.

The 27-year-old sited Chelsea’s style of play convinced him to sign a five-year deal with the team under Frank Lampard’, but with the club legend shown the exit door, and Tuchel coming with a new style and the mandate to get the best out of countrymen Timo Werner and Kai Havertz, Hakim's days at the Bridge are numbered.

It’s very possible the winger departs Stamford Bridge this coming summer, with reports suggesting that Serie A giants AC Milan and Juventus are keeping a close eye on the African ahead of a potential transfer in the summer transfer window.

According to Italian media reports, Hakim is not entirely happy with his situation at the West London club since the departure of Frank Lampard, so he could be tempted to make a switch if he’s not guaranteed a regular playing spot over the second half of the current campaign. Truth be told, the former Dutch Under 19, 20, and 21 players, has really struggled with injury setbacks since his arrival, so he’s not really had the much-needed run of matches to show what he’s got, while he has displayed few flashes of brilliance at times and he’s quality is unquestionable, the African needs to step up his game if he desires to fulfill his Chelsea dreams.