Ziyech said he looked up to John Terry, Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard at Chelsea
Wednesday 15 July 2020 16:09, UK
Hakim Ziyech says moving to Chelsea is a dream come true as he has always had ambitions to play in the Premier League,
On Saturday, the Moroccan international began training with his new club for the first time since his £33.3m move from Ajax was confirmed in February.
Ziyech attended Tuesday night's Chelsea win over Norwich and says he has always wanted to play for a big club in England.
The 27-year-old said he always looked up to Chelsea players John Terry, Didier Drogba and his new head coach Frank Lampard.
Ziyech, in an interview with the official Chelsea website, said: "When you are a young guy you always want to play for a big club, in the Premier League of course.
'When I was young, the players that played here, it was always a big club so I am very happy and it means a lot. I was playing in the youth in Heerenveen and here was playing Drogba, Lampard, Terry, all those big names. We were always for Chelsea, and if you look at now, if you can play here it means a lot to me."
Ziyech came up against Chelsea twice during the season with Ajax including a 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge, a game which he scored in.
The former Ajax forward said Lampard's attacking style of play was a big reason why he chose to move to the club.
"It was important for my decision. I like the style of play he is using now. The attacking play was for me a big decision to come to Chelsea," Ziyech added.
"It was a crazy game (the 4-4 draw). If you were a neutral supporter it was a fantastic game. For us it was a little bit less because we were 4-1 up, but it was a crazy game. I think the neutral fans, that is why they like football, because of moments and games like this."
Although Ziyech has been registered as a Chelsea player, he is unable to play for the club until the 2020/21 season.
The Moroccan has effectively began pre-season training with his last competitive match coming back in March following the curtailment of the Eredivisie season.
