Arsenal: Hakim Ziyech is one hell of an opening shot to fire

Arsenal have to go hard in the transfer window, but landing Hakim Ziyech early on is one hell of a way to get started on the exact right foot.

Arsenal‘s checklist this summer is long and complicated. Long, because there are so many needs that need immediate addressing in a major way, and complicated because you just don’t know how much money they are going to have available to them.

That said, it’s no secret that no matter who they sell, landing suitable wingers, defenders, and an Aaron Ramsey replacement is not an easy ask with the budgetary limitations that they are undoubtedly going to be facing.

So to hear that they can get Hakim Ziyech for as little as his £25m release clause is, well, exciting. To say the least.

Ziyech is one of the names that has risen to the tops of the transfer spectrum this season thanks to his stand-out performance at Ajax (one of many stand-out performances at Ajax).

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He contributed to 35 goals in all competitions this year for the Dutch side, which ranks him among the top in the world. Eridivisie be damned, those numbers are immense. Even if you cut them in half if he came to the Premier League, he woulds still be well worth the price paid.

The best part is that he’s a winger. Most wingers we’ve been tied to have been about twice the price of Ziyech’s release clause and with him already confirmed as leaving the club, it’s just a matter of being the team that wins the race.

Ziyech is a big time defensive contributor, he creates a ton of chances, nearly twice as many as the Gunner’s top creator, and dribbles incredibly well too. Even in terms of keeping hold of the ball, for the product he delivers, he doesn’t lose it all that much.

He’s only 26 years old, which is past the “moldable growth” stage, but getting into his prime days, so he fits in with the new era of Arsenal players in that regard too.

He checks all the boxes of a big time signing but he costs nowhere near as much. If this is going to be a successful transfer window, Ziyech is one hell of a way to get it started. You can’t do better for your money than you can by signing him. You just can’t. One good sale can cover the transfer fee, and that’s epic.