Arsenal Opinion: Why Hakim Ziyech would be a good fit at the Emirates?

Dutch football journalist Marcel van der Kraan has revealed Ajax star Hakim Ziyech is ready to quit the club and join Arsenal this summer.

The Moroccan international, 26, who moved to the Johan Cruyff Arena three years ago from FC Twente, hit 21 goals with 18 assists across all competitions last season. He played a key role for Ajax last term as Erik ten Hag’s side won the Eredivisie title and also reached the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Those aforementioned numbers have alerted clubs to the qualities that Hakim Ziyech can bring to their club.

The creative playmaker has another two years to run on his current deal and is valued at £25million, add the report. With that in mind, should Arsenal meet Ajax’s valuation to sign Ziyech this summer?

The Gunners are looking to strengthen their squad ahead of the new season after narrowly missing out on the top four. Unai Emery will be pleased with how his first season at the Emirates Stadium panned out but he’ll expect his side to improve and challenge for trophies again

Emery is keen on adding a winger this summer, with the North London club lacking a natural wide-man.

He tried the likes of Alex Iwobi, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Mesut Ozil on the flanks but they failed to deliver the goods last season. Especially, Ozil was very poor with his performances and the German’s flop show saw the Gunners miss the spark and cutting edge to their attack.

Thus, it’s high time the Spanish tactician must find a creative playmaker to replace Ozil permanently in his team. And someone like Hakim Ziyech would be a perfect fit at the Emirates.

Ziyech is one of the most sought-after creative attacking talents in Europe, thanks to the outstanding 2018/19 season he had in Ajax colours.

A technically gifted and tactically versatile player, the Moroccan operated on both flanks and in midfield for Erik ten Hag’s team this past season, but he can light up games regardless of his positioning.

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An excellent passer of the ball, the 26-year-old uses his burst of acceleration and dribbling skills to weave past defenders before sliding a killer through ball or a delicious cross in the box for his teammates to feed upon.

He is quick and agile and also does his fair share of defensive duties, something which Emery expects from his attacking players to do. Ziyech has a wand of a left foot and has a penchant of testing goalkeepers from long-range.

Verdict

Ziyech has the required attributes to thrive in the Premier League. He is a full package who can take the entire Arsenal team to the next level and bolster their hopes of challenging for the Premier League title next season.