Chelsea must bin £33m flop who earns over 2x more than Gusto

Chelsea have conducted questionable business in the transfer market in recent seasons, splashing the cash on players who aren’t up to the level required of the Premier League.

Marc Cucurella and Axel Disasi cost the Blues £63m and £38.8m, respectively, with the defensive duo failing to make any sort of positive impact since their arrival at Stamford Bridge – part of a backline that has already shipped 57 league goals this term.

The club’s erratic spending has caught up with them in recent months, losing over £90m in the previous financial year – putting the club at risk of breaking the Premier League’s FFP rules.

The Blues’ hefty spending in the market certainly has contributed to the club’s hefty losses, with multiple sales needed over the summer to balance the books.

One particular player needs to be moved on during the next transfer window after he failed to have the desired effect after his big-money move to England.

Hakim Ziyech’s stats at Chelsea

After forking out £33m for his signature, winger Hakim Ziyech arrived in London with high expectations after registering 19 goal contributions in 21 Eredivisie matches for Ajax during the 2019/20 campaign.

However, his brilliant form didn’t carry over to England, and in his first season in Blue, he returned just six goals and four assists in 39 appearances and missed 14 games through injury.

Although his second season at Stamford Bridge was an improvement, it was still an underwhelming campaign. In 44 games, the wideman scored eight goals and provided six assists – including a brilliant effort against Crystal Palace.

The 2022/23 campaign saw the Moroccan ace lose his place in the first team and produce his worst return yet, providing just three assists in 24 appearances and failing to find the back of the net on any occasion.

He would leave Stamford Bridge on loan for the current campaign, joining Turkish side Galatasaray for the entirety of the season – potentially ending his time in the Premier League.

Hakim Ziyech’s wage at Chelsea

The “awful” flop, as dubbed by former Chelsea TV presenter Jake Heasman, currently earns £100k-per-week, as per Spotrac, with the 31-year-old earning more than double that of current first-team member Malo Gusto – who only earns a reported £45k-per-week, despite registering eight assists in all competitions.

With the winger currently spending the season away from the Blues, the club have been relieved of some of his hefty wages, but the club have still splashed £100k-per-week on the forward for the three previous seasons.

Ziyech pockets £5.2m per season at Stamford Bridge, taking his earnings to £15.6m throughout his three full seasons at Stamford Bridge – a ridiculous amount given his lack of impact.

Although they’ve managed to loan him out for 2023/24, he will return to the Blues in the summer and still take home his huge wages, even if he isn’t in Mauricio Pochettino’s first-team plans.

The club desperately need to get rid of the Morrocan attacker – who has cost roughly £48.6m in total when also factoring in his £33m transfer – with the board able to save over £5m a year in the process, an amount that will go a huge way towards complying with FFP for another season.