Former Dutch star Wim Kieft is adamant Hakim Ziyech will be a big star with Chelsea.
Ziyech has left Ajax for Chelsea ahead of next season. The midfielder began training with Chelsea last month after the abandonment of the Eredivisie season. Ziyech joins the Blues for a fee rising to €44m.
The midfielder is anxiously waiting on his shirt number at Chelsea for the new season.
Some in Holland doubt Ziyech can handle the physical demands of the Premier League, but Kieft insists the Morocco international is well equipped to prove a huge hit with Chelsea and in England.
For his column with De Telegraaf, quoted by Voetbalzone, Kieft declared: "Everyone has had to find fault with him in the past, but the most important thing is that Ziyech has always adapted to the level at which he ended up.
"At Ajax that went in fits and starts. He was criticised a lot because he lost a lot of ball. He himself had the intelligence to not want to make every action at a certain moment. He started to pull back a little. There were times when I thought he could be a bit less, but in his totality he has developed very well and he became an important player at Ajax.
"Some still doubt whether he will make it in the Premier League. But why would you still doubt him? He has played a lot of games at a fairly high level in the Champions League and that competition is still slightly above the Premier League."
Kieft, himself, is a former Ajax player, kicking off his distinguished career with the Amsterdam giants before going onto play in Italy with Pisa and Torino, along in France with Bordeaux. The former centre-forward also managed two spells with PSV Eindhoven.
Kieft also boasts 42 caps with Holland.
- updated August 10
