Rafael van der Vaart has told Hakim Ziyech to leave Chelsea for the good of his career.
Ziyech has made just one start for the Blues in all competitions this season following a summer dominated with speculation over his future. football.london understands the 29-year-old was keen on leaving Stamford Bridge with former club Ajax and AC Milan interested in his services.
However, a move away from Chelsea never materialised for Ziyech – who is now working under his third manager at Stamford Bridge. Signed by Frank Lampard in 2020, many were excited about the Moroccan and what he could add to Chelsea's attack.
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There's no doubting Ziyech's talent. On his day, he can be majestic, but 'his day' has proven few and far between since his time at Chelsea.
He never managed to win over Lampard and the same can be said with Thomas Tuchel during his time at the Bridge. It's now on Ziyech to try and get in Graham Potter's good books.
It will be difficult, though. Many supporters believe Ziyech is not well suited to a three-back system, something Potter is likely to play in his time at Chelsea. He's got a few months to win over the supporters and more importantly, the head coach, before the January transfer window opens and inevitable questions over his future reappear.
Former Netherlands international Van der Vaart, after watching his 10-minute cameo in the 1-1 draw with FC Salzburg, where he failed to impress, believes Ziyech should consider leaving Chelsea for the good of his career. The Dutchman thinks Ziyech does not look happy with his current situation in west London.
"Of course, he never really has a smiley face, but now you can see from everything that he is not having a good time," Van der Vaart told Ziggo Sport. "I hope he goes to a club where he can just play and not worry about anything else.
"Ziyech is a boy that always has to play when you get him. Then you can say that Chelsea have so many good players, but guys like him do not like to sit on the bench."
Ziyech's situation is very similar to Christian Pulisic, who is also playing under his third manager at Chelsea. The American winger wanted to leave over the summer with plenty of interest in his signature, but the Blues were reluctant to sanction a move for the 23-year-old.
Potter used a 3-5-2 in his first game against Salzburg on Wednesday evening, something that does not suit the likes of Ziyech and Pulisic. He did, however, use Raheem Sterling as a wing-back, which suggests he is not afraid to stick a winger in a slightly unorthodox role out wide.
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