“It is a pity for football” – Van Basten tells Chelsea winger to leave club
Hakim Ziyech of Chelsea has been pushed to quit the club in order to receive more playing time at another team by former Holland manager Marco van Basten.
Van Basten commented that it is unfortunate that Ziyech is not playing more for Chelsea and added that his circumstances at Stamford Bridge are bad for football.
This season, Ziyech has played in just two Premier League games.
The Moroccan, who was linked to a number of teams during the summer transfer window, including Tottenham, AC Milan, Manchester United, and Ajax, has started Chelsea’s last two games off the bench under new boss Graham Potter.
Van Basten thinks Ziyech should attempt to leave Chelsea during the January transfer window.
According to Van Basten, a new transfer window will soon open.
“It’s unfortunate and sad. Ziyech excels as a player. We watch TV in search of a player like them because we have to see them, and then we travel to the stadium.
“It’s unfortunate for football as a whole that he’s on the sidelines. Football will suffer if these players are not given playing time.
The limitation on the amount of players that teams can have should truly be a rule, he continued.
Therefore, Chelsea has far too many players, which lessens the appeal of football. A player like Ziyech might just play for another team and amuse the crowd.
“There will be 35-player teams in the near future, of which five or six never play. They might perform well in other clubs.
“Eighteen clubs must be the limit for all contests. You then take part in a few less games. Consequently, you are limited to using no more than, say, 26 players per game.
“You can see it’s feasible. Real Madrid, as an illustration. They only have eighteen to twenty players who consistently play, and they only have a standard selection. Therefore, that ought to be achievable in theory.