[골닷컴] Reporter Kim Hyung-joong = Manchester United are targeting Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech. Initially, the Manchester United board turned down manager Eric Ten Haach’s request, but it seems they have changed their minds.
On the 17th (Korean time), British media ‘Mirror’ quoted a report from ‘Requip’ and said, “The Manchester United board is granting manager Ten Haach’s request. If Chelsea charge an acceptable transfer fee, they are willing to proceed with the signing.” said.
Ziyech, who joined Chelsea from Ajax in the summer of 2020, did not settle as expected. In particular, after the appointment of Thomas Tuchel as manager, the number of games played has significantly decreased. In the 2020/21 season, the first season of his transfer, he appeared in 23 Premier League appearances, scoring 2 goals and providing 3 assists. In his last season, he had 4 goals and 3 assists in the same number of games. However, his playing time was only 57 minutes per game. In the end, he had 14 goals in 83 matches in all competitions over the two seasons and felt thirsty for appearances. This season, he has only been on the bench in two league games.
Ten Haach wants Ziyech because he performed great at Ajax. Especially in the 2018/19 season UEFA Champions League, Ajax made it to the semi-finals. That season, Ziyech scored 21 goals and provided 24 assists in all competitions.
This season, Manchester United have fallen into the bottom of the Premier League after being in total trouble from the beginning. The defense, which conceded 6 goals in 2 games after the start, is also a problem, but the offensive ability that stays on 1 goal is also not good. Cristiano Ronaldo is seldom in harmony with the team, and the attacking team, such as Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford, only shows helplessness. Manager Ten Haach seems to have a plan to use players he knows well to come up with a solution.
It is known that United’s board initially rejected Ten Haach’s request to sign Ziyech. However, he seems to have changed his mind considering the fact that the transfer window is only about two weeks away and the atmosphere at the beginning of the season is not very good. In addition, it seems that Ronaldo decided that it was necessary to recruit a flank striker in a situation where the future of Ronaldo was not completely decided.