Van der Vaart claims Chelsea star should have joined Spurs and made them title contenders

Rafael Van der Vaart has suggested that Hakim Ziyech made a mistake joining Chelsea and should have signed for Tottenham instead. 

The Morocco international joined the Blues in a deal worth £33.3 million from Ajax last season as part of a summer overhaul under then-manager Frank Lampard. 

He joined the likes of German duo Timo Werner and Kai Havertz, while Ben Chilwell and Edouard Mendy were also acquired in moves to Stamford Bridge. 

Chelsea have received mixed success from the above signings, and Ziyech falls into the category with a question mark after struggling to cement a consistent position in the line-up. 

Issues with consistency and niggling fitness problems have hindered the midfielder’s development, ultimately limiting him to 23 starts in all competitions last season, and 28 overall since the move. 

He has managed to produce some attacking output for Chelsea, though, notching seven goals and four assists, but those numbers are a level below those he put up for Ajax. 

Ziyech’s situation has captured the attention of ex-Spurs man Van der Vaart, who believes the Moroccan should have signed for his former side instead of their London rivals. 

Speaking to Ziggo Sport, he said: “With hindsight, it’s easy, but I think it was a wrong choice.

“I hope he still fully blossoms, but if he had gone to Tottenham, for example. They are lacking a player like him. He played very well at Ajax and did the same against Tottenham. Just take him then.

“With a player like that, Tottenham are title contenders, and they’re not now because they have all the same kind of players.

“It was a pity he went to Chelsea.”

Spurs Web Opinion 

Spurs could definitely have used a player of Ziyech’s calibre, with the side desperately missing a source of creativity since Christian Eriksen’s departure. He has produced flashes for Chelsea, but none too close to those we saw during his final stint at Ajax. 

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