Van der Vaart recommends Spurs sign player from Premier League rivals

Former Tottenham Hotspur star Rafael van der Vaart has been speaking to the Ladbrokes Fanzone and has told Spurs they should sign Chelsea outcast Hakim Ziyech.

Ziyech signed for Chelsea in the summer of 2020 but has failed to properly establish himself as a first-team regular there. He has 100 appearances for the Blues over the course of that time, scoring 14 goals and providing 11 assists (Transfermarkt).

Since Graham Potter arrived at the club, and the influx of new attackers coming into Chelsea in January, Ziyech’s game time has become severely limited. He has made just 17 appearances in all competitions this term, amounting to just 692 minutes in total (Transfermarkt).

It was reported way back in September that Ziyech was on the radar of Tottenham Hotspur with a January move being considered TodoFichajes. According to The Athletic, Spurs did actually make an enquiry about the player, but he ultimately stayed put until the end of the season.

However, van der Vaart reckons Spurs should pursue the player again in the summer to bolster their attacking options.

He said: “There’s a few missing links for me, I think. I’ve always said they’re missing a classic number 10.

“The midfield, with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur – when he is fit – is solid – but they’re missing a player who can pick up the ball between the lines, make space, turn, run at defenders and get the ball to Sonny [Heung-min Son] and Harry Kane.

“Harry has to play that role himself – dropping deep to get the ball, feed it out, then try to get into the box to get onto the end of things. It’s too much for him, he’s a striker, he has to stay on the shoulder of defenders and score goals… that’s his game.

“They’re missing something in that number 10 area, and I think the answer is Hakim Ziyech. He’s not happy at Chelsea, and I’m a big fan of his. If Tottenham were to bring him in, their problems are solved. I really don’t think they need much more.”

Spurs Web Opinion

I am not a huge fan of Ziyech’s and I would really rather we didn’t sign him. He’s never really shined for Chelsea, so why would it be any different at Spurs?

I just don’t think English football suits him, and there are far better options out there that we should look at before we go for what is essentially a Chelsea reject.

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