The Blues have completed the signing of Hakim Ziyech from Ajax in February, and the Moroccan International officially became a Chelsea player from July 1.
The new Chelsea signing was expected to miss Chelsea’s games between January 9 and February 6 next season if Morocco qualifies for the African Cup of Nations.
However, CAF have decided to move the AFCON tournament from January 2021 to January 2022. The Confederation of African Football have postponed the African Cup of Nations by a year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic following a meeting among officials on Tuesday.
Ziyech will now be available for Frank Lampard’s selection for the whole 2020/21 campaign.
In other news, Dutch football commentator Jan Roelfs, has backed Ziyech to shine in the Premier League as he has compared the former Ajax star to Ajax legends such as Dennis Bergkamp, Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten.
“Ziyech will not be lost in England, he has so much quality,” Roelfs told NOS, as quoted by The Chelsea Chronicle. “When I make a list of Ajax players, I think of Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten, Dennis Bergkamp and Hakim Ziyech, in that order. I really think he is close to that as a stylist.
“I go to the stadium for someone like Ziyech – that is an important condition for me. There are a few football players like that.”