Newcastle United’s potential signing of Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech could be a “good short term-fit” as Eddie Howe’s side look to secure Champions League football at St. James’ Park next season, transfer insider Dean Jones has suggested to GiveMeSport.
The 29-year-old looks set to leave Stamford Bridge this month, after the Blues confirmed the signing of PSV Eindhoven’s Noni Madueke.
According to 90min, Newcastle are exploring the possibility of making several attacking additions this month, with Ziyech being one of the names touted as a potential option for the Magpies.
The Telegraph has also claimed that the Tyneside outfit are considering the signing of the Blues winger in January, whilst Conor Gallagher and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have also been linked with a possible move up north.
Jones recently informed GiveMeSport that Newcastle were “primed” to make a loan bid for the Morocco star, with the arrival of Madueke potentially triggering the former Ajax man’s exit from Stamford Bridge.
And the transfer insider has suggested that Ziyech could be a solid “short-term fit” for Howe’s side, as the north east outfit look to secure Champions League qualification for next season.
Jones told GiveMeSport: “You can see that he doesn’t really fit into what’s going on at Chelsea right now and Newcastle seems like a good short-term fit for trying to cement their Champions League status.”
It’s safe to say that Ziyech – who signed for Chelsea in 2020 in a deal that could rise to almost £37m – hasn’t hit his true potential since his arrival at Stamford Bridge.
The 50-cap Morocco international has made 98 appearances for the Blues at the time of writing, hitting the back of the net 14 times whilst providing 11 assists, as per Transfermarkt.
With the aforementioned signing of Madueke as well as the £89m addition of Shakhtar Donetsk and Ukraine star Mykhaylo Mudryk, it seems unlikely that Graham Potter will be able to provide Ziyech with regular game time, and a loan move to Newcastle may be the best solution for all parties.
At St. James’ Park, Howe would likely be able to find a spot in his starting XI for the wide man and the Chelsea outcast would be considered something of a marquee signing for the Magpies, therefore suggesting that this could be the move that kickstarts Ziyech’s Premier League career.
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Harry is a football writer with multiple years of experience in the field, having worked as an intern at Port Vale Football Club, before coming through the ranks at the O&O Academy at Snack Media.
Having worked as a freelance writer on This is Futbol from July-November 2022, Harry now works as a freelance writer for the Exclusives team at GiveMeSport, mainly covering Premier League football as well as Celtic and Rangers.
Football dominates Harry’s life and when he’s not writing about the sport, he is often found following his beloved Wolverhampton Wanderers home and away.
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