Tottenham’s London rivals Chelsea officially confirmed the signing of Ajax winger Hakim Ziyech on Friday, subject to personal terms. The silky left-footer will join Frank Lampard’s side in the summer after finishing the season with the Dutch giants.
The news was met with disappointment by some Spurs as they felt the Lilywhites had missed a trick by not going in for the Ajax star.
However, a statistical comparison of Ziyech with Steven Bergwijn shows that the Lilywhites might have got a much better deal than the Blues.
Both players’ attacking output in the Eredivisie has been quite similar in the last two seasons.
While Bergwijn has five goals and ten assists this season in sixteen Eredivisie appearances (transfermarkt), Ziyech has six goals and thirteen assists in eighteen appearances (transfermarkt).
It is worth noting that the Morocco international is playing for a better side than the Dutchman is, with Ajax again sitting pretty at the top of the Eredivisie standings while PSV are languishing in 5th place.
Even last season, when a fantastic Ajax side cruised to a domestic League and Cup double, Ziyech managed 16 goals (transfermarkt), just two more than Bergwijn’s tally last campaign (transfermarkt).
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Additionally, Ziyech will 27 years of age next month while Bergwijn is only 22 and is arguably yet to reach his full potential.
While Spurs are said to have paid £27 million for Bergwijn’s services (BBC Sport), Chelsea will reportedly pay £33.3 million to sign Ziyech from Ajax in the summer (TEAMtalk).
While Chelsea have arguably got the player who is slightly more advanced in terms of his development, he is unlikely to reach new heights with Lampard’s side given his age. Bergwijn, on the other hand, is quite raw and there is no telling how much he can develop in the next few years. It is clear that Tottenham have signed the better prospect among the two.
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