The highly-rated playmaker arrived in the west London club and adapted very quickly to the new atmosphere in England.
His creativity has been on full display through early fixtures for the Blues and he earned a man-of-the-match performance when his team faced Sheffield United and defeated them on a 4-1 scoreline.
Melchiot said Stadium Astro that he usually believed Hakim Ziyech will surely thrive in the English Premier League because he a world-class player with amazing technical ability.
“When you come to Ajax, the system that they build up is about the technical aspect. Physically we are not always up to the task to compete with people, but technically we are. If you look at Ziyech, he’s a strong player. He may not look it, but physically he is. Left foot is great and as a human being he is a real fighter.”
“It’s about how he positions himself because he’s a guy who tries to achieve better for himself. The only way to do that is through his stamina. His stamina, it looks like this guy will never get tired. So it comes down to how long and how effective can he stay for a team?”
“Now Chelsea have him, for Ziyech it’s whether he can create the same ability that he had at Ajax – in terms of being so crucial to that team. When he does that, then we have a really good player. He is a top player and now he has to continue.”
“We are seeing a confident guy but he can be way more confident and dominant in games. When he gets to that point, that’s when we are going to see the guy we really want to see,” said Melchiot.
Hakim was seven compared to the likes of Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez as both of them are blessed with a magical left foot. The ball sticks to the feet and it becomes impossible for the defender to intercept without committing a foul. Melchiot also says that although Ziyech doesn’t seem to be a physical player, he is indeed strong.
