Dutch club Ajax’s fantastic 2018-19 season, where they won the Dutch Cup and the league, and also made it to the semi-finals of the Champions League, knocking out heavyweights like Real Madrid and Juventus in the process, was a delight for most neutral fans. But that incredible season will likely result in the exit of several of their stars. Frenkie de Jong has already been signed by Barcelona, while the futures of other players like Matthijs de Ligt, Donny van de Beek, David Neres, and André Onana are up in the air.
The latest player linked with a move away from the Dutch club is Hakim Ziyech, with reports from De Telegraaf revealing that the 26-year-old has been the subject of bids from Roma and various teams in Spain and Germany. Arsenal are also rumoured to be interested in signing Ziyech, who previously revealed in an interview that the two teams that he would like to play for are Barcelona and Arsenal.
The report further states that a bid of just over £30 million is what the Dutch club are demanding for the signature of the winger. Ziyech joined Ajax from FC Twente in 2016 for a fee of €11 million and has gone on to become a key player for the Dutch team. The 2018-19 season was his best year in Ajax colours, where he scored 21 goals in all competitions and notched up a mind-boggling 24 assists in his 49 games for the club.
Ziyech’s current contract with the Dutch champions expires in 2021, but Marc Overmars, Ajax’s director of football, said recently that Ziyech would be allowed to move in the summer.
Should Arsenal make a move?
Ziyech is a player who can light the field up with his wonderful dribbling as well as his fantastic passing. A player with great short and long passing range, as well as shooting and dribbling ability, Ziyech is an all-round player who can make an impact on the pitch in more ways than one.
The Dutch-born Moroccan international would be a great fit for the Arsenal side, that has, at times, shown lack of inspiration on the pitch especially when the going gets tough. Manager Unai Emery has shown that he is not a big fan of Mesut Ozil, despite the German being the highest paid player for the Gunners, and the Spanish manager will be keen to add a player who can make things happen in the final third.
Arsenal do not have a big transfer budget, but at £30 million, Ziyech would be a steal for the Gunners and they should do everything in their power to sign him.
