Raphael van der Vaart, once of Tottenham, has claimed Hakim Ziyech should have joined them, not Chelsea, when he left Ajax.
Ziyech joined the Blues in a £36m deal in July 2020, having established himself as the star of the show with the Dutch giants both at home and in Europe.
He arrived at Stamford Bridge with a big reputation as a result, with many hoping he could fill the hole that had been left by Eden Hazard’s departure to Real Madrid the year before.
His first year at Chelsea proved to be a disappointing one, though, with him managing just six goals and four assists in 39 appearances and failing to establish himself as the star that most had expected.
All the signals suggest he will not be a major player under the German at Chelsea moving forward, and Van der Vaart believes he should have gone elsewhere in London in the first place.
“With hindsight, it’s easy, but I think it was a wrong choice,” he told Ziggo Sport, relayed by Voetbal Primeur.
“I hope he still fully blossoms, but if he had gone to Tottenham, for example…
“They are lacking a player like him. He played very well at Ajax and did the same against Tottenham. Just take him then.
“With a player like that, Tottenham are title contenders, and they’re not now because they have all the same kind of players.
“It was a pity he went to Chelsea.”
