Hakim Ziyech’s transfer saga is over |

One of the biggest transfer sagas of the summer has been settled as Heerenveen playmaker Hakim Ziyech has signed for FC Twente on a four year contract for a fee reported to be around €4 million writes Will Burns.

Alfred Schreuder and Hakim Ziyech – image courtesy of FCTwente.nl

The talented 21-year old, scored nine goals in 33 league appearances for Heerenveen under Marco van Basten last season, and he has made a great start to this campaign, with two goals in as many games.

With only a year left on his current deal at the Frisian club, Heerenveen felt it was the best time to cash in on Ziyech, although he is considered one of the hottest properties in Dutch football.

With Ziyech along with Kamohelo Mokotjo added to the already talented squad in Enschede, Twente must be regarded as one of the candidates to stop Ajax’s stranglehold on the Eredivisie championship this season.

One of the main reasons for Ziyech’s recruitment is to act as a replacement for Quincy Promes, who joined Spartak Moscow earlier this month for a reported €7 million.

Talking to FCTwente.nl, Ziyech said: “I knew before I went on holiday that Twente had an interest in me and this interest remained. The conversation I had with the coach, he persuaded me to make this choice, the right choice. He gave me the feeling that I will feel at home here and that I can play in my favourite position.”

Other clubs were interested too, especially Feyenoord, whose technical director Martin van Geel could not guarantee Ziyech a spot in the starting line-up in Rotterdam, which is maybe why Ziyech has swayed towards the move to Twente.