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Ajax have had an incredible 2018-19 season, in which they enjoyed domestic success as well as reaching the Champions League semifinal. With Ajax being known in the footballing world as a selling club and with their average squad age being just around 24 years old, many Ajax players can be on the move with quite a few European clubs emerging as potential suitors.
With all the attention being mostly directed towards the futures of young talents David Neres and Matthijs de Ligt, the efforts of another Ajax player have gone unnoticed. That player is the 26-year-old Hakim Ziyech. The Moroccan international has just had arguably his best season yet, scoring an incredible 21 goals and registering an even more impressive 24 assists. His form has made him one of the hottest properties heading into the transfer window.
Playing predominantly as an attacking midfielder, he has attracted attention from a host of top clubs. One of them are Champions League finalists Liverpool.
The English side has had an incredible season themselves, having amassed 97 points and narrowly missing out on the title by just 1 point. Although already possessing a remarkable squad, Liverpool are rumoured to be keen on strengthening their team, both in quality and in squad depth. And it seems as if they have earmarked the Ajax star as a potential addition to their team.
Though Liverpool spent over €170 million in the last summer transfer window by bringing in key players such as goalkeeper Alisson Becker and defensive midfielder Fabinho, they have failed to find a proper replacement for Philippe Coutinho. The Brazilian left the club for Barcelona for a club record €140 million in 2017.
It is well known that Liverpool did go in for Lyon playmaker Nabil Fekir as a replacement last summer, even though the deal failed to materialize. Also, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain missing most of the season through injury, and Naby Keita having a stuttering first season, Liverpool has lacked creativity in the midfield.
The lack of a creative presence could be felt in the Liverpool team as in a few games, they have struggled to create chances from open play. Hakim Ziyech would be the perfect player to improve Liverpool in this area. He is excellent at building up play and his creativity would bring a new dimension in an otherwise relatively conservative midfield.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has had consistent injury issues and cannot be relied upon the entirety of the season. Naby Keita is definitely creative but acts more as a no.8 than a no. 10. So he cannot contribute the same number of goals and assists as Coutinho did
One important thing to remember is that Roberto Firmino acts as a no.9 in Klopp's 4-3-3 formation. This means that he drops back into the midfield to help with the build-up play. With the inclusion of Ziyech, Firmino will be able to remain high up the pitch and Liverpool will have 3 players up to the pitch.
His eye for goal will come as a great help for Liverpool, as that would mean that they would not have to rely on their front three for most of the goals. Although there is a lot of criticism stating the difference in intensity between the Eredivisie and the Premier League, his contributions for Ajax in the Champions League means that he will not falter on the big stage.
It is known that Klopp loves his players to be as versatile as possible. He has played many of his players, especially James Milner, Fabinho and Firmino, in positions different that they are used to. Here is another reason why Ziyech would be a perfect fit for Liverpool.
Even though Ziyech plays as a no. 10, he can also play out wide. This means that he can provide valuable cover for Sadio Mane or Mohamed Salah if they get injured or need a rest. He could also be seen as a potential replacement for Xherdan Shaqiri. Although the Swiss international just arrived last year and had an excellent first half to the season, he has slowly lost his place in the starting lineup.
Thus, we can say that the acquisition of Hakim Ziyech would be an excellent signing for Liverpool, as he would provide a creative force in the midfield while also acting as a backup for the wingers. Also, hi 26 million euro price tag that Ajax are asking for is most definitely a bargain in this over-inflated transfer market.
