Everton are going to have an important summer transfer window. The club had a lot of money to spend during the 2017 summer transfer window but didn’t go about it correctly. Now, knowing what the squad lacks, they need to ensure they add more balance instead of just signing players for the sake of it.
One of the players they have been linked with recently is Ajax midfielder Hakim Ziyech. The midfielder has had an impressive season for Ajax and his national side as well, so it’s no surprise that he is being linked with a move to the Premier League.
Hakim Ziyech – fact file
Though Everton have quite a few midfielders at the club, no one has the flair and creativity of Ziyech. The midfielders have played it safe more often than not which is why the team has looked lacklustre in the final third.
Of course, Sam Allardyce’s dull setup hasn’t helped, but since the club need someone who can break the shackles in dull games and muster something from nothing.
Ziyech is an extremely creative player and his stats definitely show that. In 31 Eredivisie games so far, he has mustered 13 assists and eight goals. Now, if you’re impressed with his assists tally, then you’ll be more interested in how many key passes he has provided in games. He averages 4.1 key passes which is equivalent to four good chances in a game; majestic for a player regardless of the quality of league he’s playing in.
There are a few games to go in the league and Ziyech can still better his best season in terms of output. While he is doing well at Ajax, he rose to prominence at FC Twente. After breaking into the Heerenveen side as a youngster, he earned a move to Twente and in his second season there, he mustered 17 goals and 12 assists which made Ajax stand up and take notice.
This is his first full season at the club but he has already impressed quite a few and it could be his last as well. His ability to drive past opponents using his skill and technique is unmatched in the Eredivisie and he can score a few goals which will take the burden off Everton’s forwards.
At 25, he is at the right age to move abroad. Of late, we’ve seen quite a few players struggle to cope but Ziyech has the experience of changing clubs and doing well despite that in the last few years. He is also pretty experienced when it comes to international football and will represent Morroco, so that’ll help.
If he moves to Everton, he’s got to be given good game time to acclimatise to the surroundings and in his preferred role too, unlike what the club did with Klaasen and Sigurdsson.
Stats via Whoscored
