The Morocco international will arrive in summer in time for next season but has a period of adaptation ahead of him according to Blues midfield legend.
Gus Poyet thinks that Hakim Ziyech can provide a new reason to watch Chelsea next season but also believes that the Moroccan may also face difficulties in his early Blues career after his £37 million (€40m/$43m) move was finalised in the winter transfer window.
Ziyech was wanted in January by Chelsea but Ajax were determined to keep their forward until the end of the season as they were competing on three competitive fronts. They have since been knocked out of the KNVB Cup and the Europa League but remain top of the league on goal difference.
Chelsea legend Poyet is excited to see such a technically gifted player at Stamford Bridge but he still has reservations about the Morocco international. A host of players have made the step up from the Eredivisie to the Premier League but they have had mixed success over the last few decades.
“I thought last year he was outstanding, every time he got the ball you thought something would happen with creating chances and scoring goals,” Poyet told Goal. “He is more individual than I was!
“He is more direct but he always tries to affect the offensive play of the team which is exciting for people. When people go to watch football, they pay to watch teams win but also see something special.
“I think he is that kind of player to bring something to excite people in the stands to get people buying tickets. I was very surprised at the situation where he signs four days after January for next season.
“I couldn’t get it around my head but people have forgotten about his signing. In January, people thought Pedro, Willian and [Olivier] Giroud were going to have an exciting new player to come in.
“Now we can go through 20 names of players that perform at an incredible level in Holland with a few playing very well in England but the majority didn’t. It depends on how quickly he adapts to football and life in England.”