New Chelsea signing Hakim Ziyech admits last year's Champions League semifinal defeat to Tottenham as an Ajax player was a heartbreaker.

Ziyech, who joined the West London club this summer in a £33m deal, said he has been driven on by the memory of the defeat – and told to seek redress against a local rival.

"What can I say about that?" said the £33m summer signing. “A child's dream was stolen. It is hard, it is painful. It is crazy what happened at that time at that point. It is hard to accept.

“For me personally I think we deserved to go to the final but in the end you don't always get what you deserve. You have to take that as a lesson and I did. Now I know always that the game is not over until the referee whistles.

“It helped me improve, to never give up. And people, even in Holland, they say: 'Now you can take revenge on Tottenham'. But as a player you always want to win, it doesn't matter who it is. Even if it is Tottenham or whoever, you just want to win the game."