Why Hakim Ziyech is still at Chelsea

Robin Bairner

• 13 Jan 2023 16:11 GMT
• 3 min read

Hakim Ziyech is a player who has long been linked with a move away from Chelsea, yet the Morocco international remains at Stamford Bridge.

The 29-year-old was touted for a return to Ajax in the summer as a replacement for Antony, yet the deal never materialised. Milan were also interested in him.

Fast forward to January and the interest in Ziyech has been there, despite a campaign that has seen him feature only 13 times across all competitions, totalling 430 minutes on the field.

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Graham Potter does not see him as integral to his plans, yet Chelsea are in no rush to see the back of a player who is now valued at €20 million by FootballTransfers.

Transfer expert Ben Jacobs outlined the situation, explaining that one of the major reasons why Ziyech has not left the club is his high wage. His reported pay packet is €6.1 million per year, and while that is a relatively small salary compared to his Chelsea team-mates, it is a sizeable fee for the type of club he might move to.

Should he depart on loan, the Blues are asking for these fees to be covered. This has seen Ajax and Milan cool their interest in the player, while Newcastle have had a look at him but are unwilling to assume his wage midway through the season.

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Meanwhile, there has been a further complication to Ziyech’s Chelsea exit – selection problems at the club.

Potter is having to cope without Christian Pulisic, who is sidelined for the next two months, while Joao Felix’s red card on debut means that he will miss the next three Premier League fixtures.

With the club gripped by a string of selection difficulties, numbers are thin on the ground and Chelsea are unwilling to voluntarily lose another player in the meantime.

The door certainly isn’t closed on Ziyech departing Stamford Bridge during January, but any move is likely to take place late in the transfer window and will be reliant on any club assuming the player’s whole wage.