Van Gaal Fuels Excitement About “Special” £39m Chelsea Signing

Van Gaal Fuels Excitement About “Special” £39m Chelsea Signing

Former Ajax and Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has praised Hakim Ziyech ahead of his switch to Chelsea. The Blues agreed to sign the Moroccan for a fee rising to €44m (£37m) back in February.

Asked to assess the 27-year-old’s ability, van Gaal said that the winger is not only good technically, but he also has a strong work ethic, making him a standout talent:

“He has developed tremendously at Ajax. Not so much in creativity, but as a team player. The public has come to realise that he works very hard for a creative player. And then he also scores goals and gives assists. That makes you a special player.”

Despite the Eredivisie having ended their season, it is unlikely that we’ll see Ziyech in a Chelsea shirt before the start of next campaign.

The Premier League are believed to want all clubs to finish the current season with the same players they had when the campaign was suspended back in March so opening up player registrations isn’t on the agenda.

Van Gaal’s comments will only add to the excitement about Ziyech, though, who scored eight goals and provided 21 assists in 35 appearances for Ajax this season.