Arsenal: Hakim Ziyech is ready to replace his footballing idol

Arsenal’s creative midfield situation needs some help, and Hakim Ziyech is the perfect guy to do that, replacing his footballing idol in the process.

In case you haven’t been following my writing recently, I’m nuts about Hakim Ziyech. From the moment is was confirmed that he would be leaving Ajax, his comments about Arsenal being a “dream” move have been flashing in my mind like a neon sign.

Of course, this isn’t the first time that a player’s dream move has been to come to the Emirates (think Serge Aurier), but this time, it should work out in our favor, because there is literally nothing stopping us. If Ziyech is still truly batty about a move to Arsenal, and if his release clause truly is £25m, then all we have to do is sign the papers.

But there is another curiosity from Ziyech’s “dream move” comments back in 2017. When asked who his footballing idol is, Ziyech said Mesut Ozil, but added that he was nowhere near Ozil’s level. This coming right on the heels of his move from Twente to Ajax.

Over the course of the next three season, Ziyech would manage 83 goal contributions. He would create, on average, about 3.5 chances per appearance.

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Mesut Ozil, meanwhile, from the time that Ziyech said he was “no where near” the same level, would manage 50 goal contributions and about 2.7 chances per game, on average.

I know what most people are thinking – “Premier League and Eridivisie are two completely different standards.” I won’t deny that. But 33 more goals, when he himself was transitioning upwards, is a stark contrast, and Ozil’s steady decline in creating chances remains a red flag that needs sorting.

We wouldn’t even be talking much about Ziyech if Ozil could have done his part in the Unai Emery scheme, but alas, he didn’t. And not it’s time for Ziyech to replace his footballing idol.

Ziyech is so much more along the lines of what Unai Emery likes. The work rate is there, and the defensive involvement as well. Ziyech has averaged 2.5-3.0 defensive ball recoveries in that three year period, while Ozil is more in the 1.0-1.5 range. It’s a stark contrast yet again.

There doesn’t look to be anything in the way. It’s a dream move from all parties and in all facets. Even if Ziyech doesn’t replace Ozil right away, being in close proximity to his idol can only mean good things for him.