A report from The Mirror has credited Everton with an interest in Ajax playmaker Hakim Ziyech, who has earned rave reviews for his performances in recent times.
The report, however, claims that their Merseyside rivals Liverpool have an upper hand at acquiring his signature but nothing is official yet and the Toffees must work fast if they are to land him.
The Mirror has also revealed an interview where the player clearly talks about his desire to exit the Dutch giants.
All in all, it looks like Everton have a brilliant chance to sign Ziyech. The Moroccan moved to Ajax in 2016 after notching up some impressive displays with FC Twente. Although his current contract with Ajax runs until 2021, it looks like he is ready to move on to a different club.
Considering the situation at Goodison Park, Everton could most certainly benefit by securing a deal for Ziyech.
Throughout the recently concluded Premier League season, Everton struggled with a significant shortage of creativity from the middle of the park. Gylfi Sigurdsson put in some decent displays but he struggled with consistency.
Meanwhile, Wayne Rooney and Morgan Schneiderlin have hardly done anything influential in the middle of the park and the Toffees have been crying out for a creative outlet to aid the attackers up front.
Enter Ziyech, a midfield beast who created a whopping 133 chances in 32 Eredivisie appearances for Ajax last term.
Not only would he go a long way in solving Everton’s creative woes but he would also chip in with some much-needed goals and assists, which is evident from his tally of 10 goals and 15 assists. Thus, to inject Everton with some energy and creativity, a player like Ziyech could truly work wonders.
However, everything about Ziyech is not ideal. Much like any other footballer, the 25-year-old also has his set of flaws. He can get out-muscled too easily and often struggles with retaining possession. Also, he seems to prefer shooting from distance but often fails to get near the goalpost.
While these are worrisome attributes, they are not deal-breakers by any measure. The positives outweigh the negatives but it remains to be seen if Everton are able to beat their Merseyside rivals Liverpool to sign Ziyech this summer.
After an 8th-place finish, Everton will be relishing their prospects of progressing higher up the table in the seasons to come and to help them realise their dreams, Ziyech could certainly prove to be a solid buy.
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