Qatar World Cup star departs Chelsea after four years

Hakim Ziyech has left Chelsea for Galatasaray four years after joining the Premier League club from Ajax in 2020. 

Ziyech was one of Frank Lampard’s star signings in the summer of 2020, with the Englishman also bringing in Kai Havertz and Timo Werner in the same window. 

Both Germans were let go by the West London club, and Ziyech’s departure means the club got little value for money despite the playmaker’s undoubted talent. 

The Moroccan made 107 appearances for the capital club, scoring 14 times before spending last season at the Super Lig’s eventual champions Galatasaray, who notched their 24th league victory. 

Ziyech, 31, was part of the Chelsea squad that won the 2021 Champions League under Thomas Tuchel before following that up with success in the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup.

The player’s best individual highlight in West London was possibly his stunning effort against Tottenham in a London derby in January 2022 in the Blues’ 2-0 triumph over Antonio Conte’s men. 

By the end of the year, Ziyech had returned to the Morocco squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, playing a pivotal part in the Atlas Lions becoming the first African side to make the competition’s semi-finals.