Tottenham Hotspur‘s search for attacking reinforcements has seemingly taken them to a rival Premier League club…
What’s the word?
According to verified journalist Toni Juanmarti for Relevo, Spurs are in talks with Chelsea over a potential move for winger Hakim Ziyech, who is also attracting interest from Eredivisie giants Ajax.
“Negotiations underway between the two London clubs,” they tweeted. “The conditions with the player are already on track.”
It remains to be seen what sort of deal this would look like and for how much, if permanent, though he joined the Blues in a £33m deal from the Amsterdam side back in 2020.
CIES Football Observatory, meanwhile, currently value the Morrocan international at €30m (£25.5m).
Forget Malinovskyi
It appears as if Spurs are running out of options if they are to provide manager Antonio Conte with that missing creative piece this summer and with less than 48 hours left in the window, Ziyech could be a viable and quick solution.
One player that has been heavily mooted with a switch to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is Ruslan Malinovskyi but according to L’Equipe, the Lilywhites had removed themselves from the race to sign him, opening the door for Ligue 1 outfit Marseille to strike.
Interestingly, the Ukraine star is the sixth-most comparable player to Ziyech based on FBref‘s statistical profile, so perhaps it makes sense for Spurs to turn their attention to the Morrocan sensation.
Would Ziyech be a good signing for Spurs?
He’s certainly capable of being a threat in and around the penalty box – compared to fellow wingers in Europe’s top five divisions, Ziyech ranks inside the top 5% for total shots (3.32) and the top 16% for progressive passes (4.81) per 90, via FBref.
Primarily used as a winger at Stamford Bridge, the 29-year-old has actually been deployed more times in the centre, as an attacking midfielder, which is perhaps why Conte might view him as the solution to their no.10 void right now.
In this role, Ziyech has delivered 67 goals and 77 assists across 221 appearances, averaging one direct goal contribution every 118.8 minutes.
“Ziyech has got everything,” once claimed Tony Cascarino to talkSPORT. “He’s like [Riyad] Mahrez; he can go at people, dribble, fantastic assist record.”
Also lauded as an “amazing talent” by Daily Mirror journalist David Maddock and an “enigma” by football.london’s Adam Newsome, it’s clear that the out-of-favour Chelsea man could be of use to Spurs heading into an important Champions League campaign.
So, sporting director Fabio Paratici can forget about Malinovskyi by moving for Ziyech before tomorrow’s 11pm deadline.
AND in other news, Spurs could sign Conte his next Perisic in swoop for “complete” £25m wizard…
