Meet Chelsea’s new boys We chart the thrilling rises of Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech, chatting to those in the know
Chelsea didn't waste any time signing two of Europe's most electrifying talents this summer, with Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech brought in by mid-June. Turns out Blues fans can get rather excited indeed...
It wasn’t always like this. At 17, Werner was promoted to Stuttgart’s first team on a wave of optimism ahead of the 2013- 14 Bundesliga season, touted as one of his country’s most exciting rising stars.
“I knew about Timo before he came up to the first team,” Christian Gentner, Stuttgart captain between 2013 and 2019, explains to
Fourfourtwo. “My older brother was working as the academy manager in those days, so he and I often discussed the young players coming through. He told me that we had an exceptional young striker on the books, so I’d had an eye on Timo before he joined us.”
The teenage talisman had long been tipped for success. Born and raised a stone’s throw from the club’s Mercedes- Benz Arena, Werner was lethal at youth level after initially joining Die Roten when he was eight. Fast- tracked to Stuttgart’s under- 19s at just 16, he smashed 25 goals in 24 appearances the season before his call- up to the senior team. For a Stuttgart outfit lacking star quality at the time, it was an opportunity to unleash a secret weapon on their Bundesliga rivals.
But something struck Gentner, and several other team- mates, as a little unusual about the boy wonder. “Timo was very quiet,” says Gentner. “He was still a boy, of course, but he wasn’t the sort of player who would always raise his voice in the dressing room. He was incredibly shy.”
For veteran Stuttgart forward Cacau – then a 32- year- old in his 11th season at the club, and part of their 2006- 07 Bundesliga- winning squad – Werner’s personality didn’t exactly fit the profile of a top- level striker.
“He was a pretty reserved character,” the Brazil- born former Germany international tells FFT. “He had been comfortable playing at youth level, but it was a big step up to join the senior team. I wasn’t convinced he was ready for it, to be honest.”
Comparisons with another recent Stuttgart graduate didn’t help matters.
“Antonio Rudiger had broken into the first team two seasons earlier and was a young player who impressed me,” Cacau, who now works as an integration officer at the German FA, continues. “Toni was very vocal from day one and tried to learn as much as he could from the senior players. That mentality was there from the start. Timo didn’t have that.”
There were also some footballing concerns about the goal- getter’s ability to compete in Germany’s top flight.
“You could see in training sessions that he had a natural finishing ability, and was fast,” says Cacau. “But he hadn’t yet developed an understanding for the game; when to make a run, when to hold, when to play an instant one- two with a team- mate to earn himself that yard of space to shoot.”
Nevertheless, Werner was given chances to show what he could do by Stuttgart manager Bruno Labbadia. Aged 17, four months and 25 days, he started a Europa League qualifier at Bulgarian side Botev Plovdiv and became the youngest Stuttgart player in their history – a record which still stands. His Bundesliga debut followed a few weeks later, in a home defeat to Bayer Leverkusen. However, despite the personal milestones, Stuttgart’s season started with three consecutive league losses and Labbadia was sacked before the end of August. It proved ominous for the club’s long, turbulent period to follow.
Thomas Schneider, Werner’s former coach with the U19s, was handed first- team duties and kept faith with his young forward. Werner netted his maiden top- tier goal in a 1- 1 draw at home to Eintracht Frankfurt a month later, heading in from close range.
“You don’t forget your first goal as a striker,” smiles Cacau, who was always supportive of the starlet despite his doubts. “It’s important because it gives you confidence.”
That was in full swing when Werner scored a fine solo goal – the first of a brace – in a 3- 1 victory at Freiburg in November 2013, drifting past two defenders with weightless ease and prodding the ball beyond the goalkeeper.
“He scored that unbelievably good goal at Freiburg and I thought, ‘ OK, maybe we have a special player here’,” recalls Gentner, now of Union Berlin.
But as Werner was beginning to win over doubters, a downturn in results threatened to derail his progress. A run of eight straight Bundesliga reverses either side of Christmas left Stuttgart fighting for survival.
“Relegation battles are especially difficult for younger players,” admits Gentner. “Timo broke into the first team at a time when the squad was under a huge amount of pressure, with frequent changes to the coaching staff [ Schneider himself was succeeded by Huub Stevens before the end of the season]. There was no consistency in our team selection or performances. It wasn’t a good environment for him to show what he could do.”
Werner’s final goal of his debut campaign came in a mid- December loss at Wolfsburg, with his playing time gradually declining as
Doubt Timo Werner at your peril. Few players in German football have been as talked about, questioned and judged like the 24- year- old during his fledgling career. Fans, media and managers will always be critical, but Werner has also had it from his team- mates in the past.
the campaign went on. Stuttgart survived by the skin of their teeth after picking up a point in the final three games.
The following season wasn’t much better. Die Roten finished 14th, a single point above the relegation play- off spot, and Werner hit just three league goals in 32 matches. Fans expecting the local lad to turn into a saviour were left disappointed.
“His performances were inconsistent and he was in and out of the team,” remembers Cacau, who left for Japan after Werner’s first campaign. “In that situation, you need guys who were fully committed to the cause and knew their roles, and I think Timo was a little overwhelmed at times.”
For the experienced ex- striker, the constant stress about relegation impacted on Werner’s opportunity to shine.
“I’d go as far to say there was never a point during his career at Stuttgart where I thought he could become a world- class talent,” says Cacau. “A decent Bundesliga player, definitely – he showed it in flashes. But not a consistent striker at the very top level.”
Relegation in 2015- 16 spelled the end for Werner’s time at Stuttgart. RB Leipzig, freshly
“HE’S PROVED HIMSELF TO BE ONE OF THE BEST YOUNG STRIKERS IN THE WORLD – FOR LEIPZIG AND GERMANY”
promoted to the Bundesliga, took a chance on him for a reported € 10 million – a record sale for Stuttgart. Gentner felt it represented a smart piece of business.
“I wasn’t surprised when Leipzig came in for Timo,” he says. “It was clear that his qualities would suit an up- and- coming team.”
Fans were angered to see one of their own depart during a difficult period, and Gentner laments the fact that Werner’s boyhood club never got to see the best of him.
“He didn’t get to show how good he was at Stuttgart,” he sighs. “I remember being asked about him in an interview just after he broke into the first team, and told the reporter there was nothing stopping Timo becoming a top Bundesliga striker. He had all the ingredients – speed, finishing ability, and he could make chances. But he was never able to showcase these talents due to the situation we were in.”
At upwardly- mobile Leipzig, the situation was very different. The 20- year- old scored 21 goals in his debut campaign for the Red Bulls, who finished second in their first Bundesliga campaign. Gentner was delighted to see the youngster finally fulfill his promise, even if it meant leaving his local club to do so.
“It was important for him to make that step and keep learning his craft at the top level,” he says. “But I was surprised just how quickly he took off at Leipzig. I never imagined he’d be such an overnight success. Even Leipzig must have thought he was more of a player for the future, who they could help develop over time. Instead, he went straight into the team and started scoring. It was incredible.”
Having helped Leipzig into the Champions League as runners- up, Werner’s career path had experienced a rapid re- route. By the time Chelsea triggered his € 60m release clause in June, his Leipzig record read a phenomenal 95 goals in 159 appearances – 28 of which came in the Bundesliga last term.
Joachim Löw gave Werner his first Germany cap against England in March 2017, and it wasn’t long before the flying frontman was his country’s undisputed first choice upfront.
Cacau, Werner’s toughest critic in his spell at Stuttgart, is thrilled at his old team- mate’s progression. “He’s proved himself to be one of the best young strikers in the world – not just for Leipzig, but for Germany too,” he beams.
Such is Werner’s reputation now that the Londoners’ capture of the 24- year old is being touted as a bargain. Gentner believes further adulation awaits in English football.
“I believe he’s ready for the Premier League at this point in his career,” he says. “He’s no longer the small boy he was at Stuttgart. He has developed physically. Speed is a major asset to have in any league and he has bags of that, plus he knows how to score goals.
“I think he’ll be a big success in England. It can take some time to adapt to a new league and get your chance in the team, but I think he’ll soon become important for Chelsea. You saw a similar thing with Christian Pulisic [ who joined Chelsea from Borussia Dortmund]. It took a while for him, but he’s developed into a great player. The job for Chelsea is to close the gap between Liverpool and Manchester City. Timo can help them with that.”
Gentner’s calls for patience from Premier League supporters are particularly prudent in the case of Werner, who has been written off too soon in the past.
“I’ve often told friends that I think I made the wrong judgement about Timo early in his career,” says Cacau, like a father who was too tough on a wayward son. “I thought, ‘ Here’s a guy that may be a decent Bundesliga player for a mid- table club one day’ – not a guy that would reach the top. He proved me wrong.”
It might not be the last time you read those final four words about Timo Werner.
Hakim Ziyech’s four- year Ajax career ended on a cliffhanger, no thanks to the coronavirus- enforced cancellation of the Eredivisie season as long ago as April. But at least the Morocco star has already impressed at Stamford Bridge.
On November 5 2019, Ziyech’s Ajax fought Chelsea in a 4- 4 Champions League thriller which included two own goals, two red cards for the Dutch side’s centre- back pairing, and two penalties for the Blues. Amid the chaos of the night, however, attacking midfielder Ziyech bagged three assists. His contributions were reduced to smallprint by the morning’s newspapers – but they hadn’t escaped the attention of the opposition.
A € 40 million deal was reached in February for the 27- year- old to join Chelsea at the end of the season. The Londoners had apparently scouted him for three years – like countless others before them – but were convinced to open talks with Ajax following the Morocco international’s star turn against them. While most talents often fly the Eredivisie nest a lot earlier – Ryan Babel and Christian Eriksen left the Netherlands at 21 – the Dutch- born ace has spent three spells at as many domestic clubs and been admired for years.
“I joined Heerenveen back in 2012,” former team- mate Alfred Finnbogason explains to
Fourfourtwo. “In my first season, Ziyech was in the second team. I played one match with them, and you could see straight away that he was a very technical player. It wasn’t long before he was regularly coming to train with the first team.”
A product of Heerenveen’s youth academy, Ziyech’s path to their senior side was initially blocked by prodigious Serbian midfielder Filip Djuricic. When Djuricic was sold to Benfica in 2013, though, the Dronten- born schemer was given more opportunities in the first team by manager Marco van Basten.
“With more playing time he gained more confidence, and was free to do the things he wanted,” says Finnbogason. “Week by week, as the season went on, you could see all his qualities. He was destined to be somewhere further than staying at Heerenveen.”
Icelandic hitman Finnbogason netted an astonishing 52 league goals in 63 Heerenveen appearances. Over time, an understanding grew with his young sidekick – who registered nine assists in his first full senior season – as the pair developed something of a telepathic relationship at the Abe Lenstra Stadion.
“We didn’t have to speak very much – we always knew that when he put the ball in the box, I was normally going to be there,” says Finnbogason. That said, even the talismanic frontman could occasionally be caught off guard by Ziyech’s talent.
“At home against RKC Waalwijk, the game was opening up a little at the end,” he recalls. “Hakim picked up the ball and I was hoping to get a pass. He decided to shoot – midway inside Waalwijk’s half – and for a few seconds I was thinking, ‘ What the hell are you doing?’ The ball went in from about 35 or 40 yards, and I swear he pulled this off many times in training – he just got the ball in the middle of the pitch and pulled the trigger. He has this amazing left foot.”
The devastating duo were split up in 2014. Finnbogason moved to Real Sociedad before settling at Augsburg via Olympiacos. Ziyech, meanwhile, was being tracked by Twente to replace a Southampton- bound Dusan Tadic.
“At many clubs in the Netherlands, you can go and watch training sessions,” says Alfred Schreuder, who managed Twente between 2014 and 2015. “So I told my scout, ‘ Everyone knows that Ziyech is a very good player, but I want to see how good he is at training from Monday to Friday’.”
The report was glowing: Ziyech’s immense talent was backed up by a healthy work ethic. Schreuder had found his protégé, and Ziyech had found the club that would play him in the No. 10 position.
“I said to the president at Twente, ‘ You’ve got to buy him. He will be incredible for us’,” Schreuder tells FFT.
It wasn’t all plain sailing for the youngster and Twente. Schreuder had convinced Ziyech to join his team ahead of Feyenoord in 2014, then named him captain at the age of just 21 on account of the responsibility he was starting to take on the pitch. Less than a year later, however, the Dutch boss was replaced and the midfielder had his captaincy stripped after a public interview in which he criticised club figures and claimed he wanted to leave.
It was also around this time that he opted to represent Morocco at senior international level – the nation of his father’s birth – before labelling the Dutch setup “negative”. Having featured for the Oranje’s under- 19s, U20s and U21s, Ziyech now suggested that the Dutch had ignored his development and said they only approached him about receiving a full cap after Morocco did. It angered some fans.
“I say what I think and that’s why I’m not the easiest guy for some managers,” Ziyech
“MOST PEOPLE SEE HIS QUALITIES ON THE BALL, BUT HE’S CLEVER AND READS WHERE TO PRESS”
stated in 2015. When journalist Bart Vlietstra asked him if he was sure he wanted to press ahead with comments that would lose him the Twente captaincy, Ziyech apparently said, “the truth hurts”.
The playmaker’s temperament was never a question for Schreuder, though. “He’s a guy who wants you to be very honest with him,” he explains. “If you’re honest and open with him, you can say anything.
“The most important things were what you could see in training. He was the first on the pitch and the last off. He was always asking for the ball, reacting when he lost possession. For me, those things are key, as it means you want to improve.”
Despite all the background noise at Twente, Ziyech posted double figures for league goals ( 28) and assists ( 26) over two seasons before Ajax pounced in 2016. Still, they snared him for a bargain € 11m. Schreuder would get to work alongside Ziyech again two years later, as Erik ten Hag’s No. 2 in Amsterdam, and facilitate his metamorphosis from precocious midfielder into the creative fulcrum his team could rely on.
It was during Ajax’s phenomenal run to the 2018- 19 Champions League semi- finals that the world truly sat up and took note of Ziyech.
The Dutch giants began to click as Ten Hag’s young side ran riot at the Bernabeu against Real Madrid, with a brand of football that the Moroccan typified: intense off the ball, clinical in possession. Thanks to goals in both legs of the last- 16 tie from Ziyech – and a mammoth defensive effort to match – De Godenzonen became the first team to knock Los Blancos out of the competition in four years, beating them 4- 1 in their own back yard.
“If you look at him, most people just see his qualities with the ball,” Schreuder explains of Ziyech. “But at Ajax last year, he was in the top three for recoveries and winning the ball back. He’s really clever and reads where he has to press.”
Despite his exploits at a bigger club, Ziyech still slipped under the radar. At times, he felt underappreciated – like when the club gave his No. 10 shirt to new signing Tadic, which he handled graciously amid his disappointment. He was pushed by an Ajax fan after a defeat to PSV in 2018, and on the pitch cut a grumpy figure. During interviews, Ziyech admitted his openness to leaving Amsterdam.
European heavyweights were unconvinced, though. Bayern Munich refused to activate his £ 30m release clause last summer; Spurs, too, were said to be interested before settling for fellow Eredivisie wing wizard Steven Bergwijn. Critics pointed to Ziyech’s lean physique and spiky persona as pitfalls. Sevilla were linked a year ago but he decided to remain at Ajax, viewing the La Liga outfit as a sideways step.
The deal with Chelsea was only secured in February because Ajax didn’t want to watch Ziyech depart in January. That’s how much he developed at the Johan Cruyff Arena: a major player who Ten Hag could consistently count on – and someone he wanted to hold on to for as long as he could. It’s no wonder: he’d racked up 17 assists alone before coronavirus caused the league to shut down.
Fans have come to appreciate Ziyech more, too. He donated money to ex- Utrecht striker Leon de Kogel – whose career was ruined by a 2018 car collision in Malta – despite having never met him. After a tough upbringing in which he lost his dad at 14, Ziyech now runs a programme in his home city for youngsters.
He doesn’t hide on the pitch, and as much as their player’s pinpoint vision and wicked left foot – which old boss Schreuder likens to Robin van Persie’s – Ajax fans will miss a star who matured into a leader. His experience could be invaluable to a young Chelsea side.
“He takes on responsibility, is courageous and likes to play football,” adds Schreuder. “That’s why he’s a good signing for Chelsea. Frank Lampard prefers to play from the back, so Ziyech will get a lot of balls. I think that’s important for him.”
The marvel may have been misunderstood or underrated in the past – and may still be in London due to the higher- profile signing of Timo Werner – but his work rate and talent have never been in question. Now, he’s ready for that big step up.
“There’s no one I’ve seen who can play the ball better than Hakim,” says Finnbogason. “Whether he’s coming in from the left or the right – and Werner coming from deep with his pace – I can see a few goals.”
Soon, opponents will be feeling blue too.