Hakim Ziyech’s agent Rene van der Gijp appears to be in no mood to mince his words when it comes to predicting the future prospects for the star man of Ajax said to be worth in the region of £30million.
The Amsterdam giants pulled off a minor miracle to keep hold of the services of the attacking midfield ace in the summer but the big guns circling the Dutch capital aren’t ready to give up on their target as the nitty gritty of football transfers continues to unfold.
Morocco’s flamboyant playmaker Ziyech, who is aged 25, is attracting huge attention and the latest clubs to emerge as potential destinations when he moves from the Sons of the Gods now include English Premier League outfit Everton and Italian giants Roma.
But Ziyech’s very own Mr Fixit, van der Gijp, says the notion that his client will leave Ajax to go to either of those clubs is one without foundation. And, further, he has stated that the move the player is set on is a switch to either Arsenal or Liverpool. He said: “I hope that there will be a better club than Roma, an Arsenal or Liverpool. Everton? That would be crazy for that boy, he should not go to Everton, what are you doing there?”
Left-Footed Ziyech, who is under contract until 2021, is in fine form, of that there can be no doubt. He has hit five goals and contributed six assists in 15 appearances this season. His talents would perhaps suit the needs of Arsenal more than Liverpool, given that Gunners boss Unai Emery has all but given up on keeping Aaron Ramsey at the club, with the Wales ace expected to leave the Emirates for pastures new either in January or next summer after a contract extension offer was withdrawn.
Ajax coach Erik ten Hag is desperate to keep Ziyech but losing the talented attacker will provide him with considerable funds to boost his ranks, with the Dutch club set to make a £20million profit given that they only paid £10million for him when he signed for them from FC Twente in the summer of 2016.
But first, Ziyech has an injury scare from which to overcome. He suffered a hamstring injury in the 5-0 victory over AZ in the Eredivisie on Sunday. Ten Hag hopes he will be treated well when he reports to the Moroccan selection for qualification matches for the African Cup.
He said:
“I can only hope that it is not too bad. And I also hope that the national coaches will be a little cautious in the coming week with players who are not completely fit.”
Meanwhile, Ajax also have injury issues with Frenkie de Jong, who is still waiting to see if his recovery from a calf tweak is complete. The midfielder, who is aged 21, could yet get the nod to play for Holland when Ronald Koeman’s side play a Nations League game on Saturday in the Amsterdam Arena against Germany or the friendly on October 16 in Brussels versus Belgium. Time will tell.