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Rafael van der Vaart claims Tottenham can WIN the Premier League if they sign Hakim Ziyech from bitter rivals Chelsea in January… as Marco van Basten says it’s ‘a shame for all of football’ that he’s on the bench
- Hakim Ziyech has only made one start in all competitions for Chelsea this season
- The Moroccan was an unused sub in nine of 17 games for the Blues
- Rafael van der Vaart believes Tottenham can win the title with Ziyech
- The Spurs are currently five points behind leaders Arsenal after 13 league games
- Marco van Basten says Ziyech’s wealth is being wasted on the Chelsea bench
According to former player Rafael van der Vaart, Tottenham could make history and win their first Premier League title if they snatch Hakim Ziyech from bitter rivals Chelsea.
Antonio Conte’s side have made a solid start to the season and are third after 13 games, five points behind leaders Arsenal.
Chelsea, which is sixth in the ranking, has hardly made use of Hakim Ziyech this season. The Moroccan international has only made one start so far this season.
Hakim Ziyech has only made one start this season and has been a used sub nine times
Rafael van der Vaart believes Tottenham could win the title if they sign the 29-year-old winger
Ziyech has struggled to impress at Stamford Bridge since joining the club in 2020
“Hakim Ziyech has to go to Tottenham,” Van der Vaart told Ziggo Sport on Wednesday during their Champions League coverage.
“If Tottenham get Hakim Ziyech, they can win the Premier League. I am serious.’
The 29-year-old has struggled to impress since his £33million move from Ajax in 2020.
His minutes this season have not improved since Graham Potter was announced as manager
Marco van Basten thinks it is ‘a pity for all football’ that Ziyech is stuck on the bench
Ziyech (top row third from right) investigated a move at Chelsea over the summer
This season he has had to get used to occupying one of the spots on the Chelsea bench, with Ziyech an unused sub in nine of Chelsea’s 17 games in all competitions.
Ziyech had been exploring the possibility of leaving Stamford Bridge during the summer transfer window, with players like Spurs, Manchester United and AC Milan all linked.
Van der Vaart’s Ziggo Sport colleague and Dutch legend Marco van Basten, said it is ‘a shame for all football’ that Ziyech is stuck on the bench.
“There is another transfer window coming up. It’s a pity and a pity. Ziyech is a great player. We have to see someone like that, we watch TV for such a player and we come to the stadium.
“It’s a shame for all football that he’s on the bench. If these kind of players don’t get minutes, it’s not good for football.
“Actually, there should be a rule that clubs can only have a certain number of players.
‘So she’ [Chelsea] have far too many and that actually makes football less interesting. A player like Ziyech could just play at another club and entertain the fans.”
If he went sensational to Tottenham, Ziyech would still face a lot of competition against the likes of Son Heung-min and Richarlison.
The claims on Dutch television could perhaps be explained by his impact at Ajax, where he scored 49 goals in 165 appearances.
Ziyech was part of the Ajax team that was famously knocked out by Spurs in the Champions League semi-final in 2019.
Since joining Chelsea, he has played 90 games and scored 14 goals.
Van der Vaart played for Tottenham between 2010 and 2012 and made 77 appearances