Former Chelsea midfield man Gus Poyet has raised questions about Chelsea's decision to strike a deal with Ajax to sign midfielder Hakim Ziyech when they did.
After operating under a strict transfer ban last summer, which denied head coach Frank Lampard the chance to make mass changes to the squad he inherited from former Blues boss Maurizio Sarri, the restrictions were lifted ahead of the January window.
Despite the ban having been lifted, Chelsea, who are still awaiting a decision to see if they will be handed the opportunity to resume their Premier League campaign, did not draft in any new faces in January.
But less than a month after the window had slammed shut, Chelsea announced that they had reached an agreement with Ajax to sign Moroccan international Ziyech on a five-year deal this summer.
The midfielder, who scored six goals and registered 13 assists in Eredivisie this term, will officially join the Blues on July 1 ahead of next season, though it remains unclear when the 2019/20 campaign could get under way.
Whilst Poyet, who spent four years of his career at Stamford Bridge, is tipping the 26-year-old attacking-midfielder to shine in the Premier League, he has questioned Chelsea's decision to strike a deal when they did.
“I didn’t understand – and I’m not criticising anyone – why Chelsea, after all that went on in the summer, not being able to sign players, get to January with the possibility of signing players, they didn’t, and then three days later, four days later, they announce they sign a player for next year," Poyet told Stats Perform via Goal.
"It’s not normal, okay?
“I’m not saying it’s bad, but I lost it a little bit because you complain a lot about not being able to buy, then you have the chance to buy and you don’t, and then when the transfer window is closed you announce that you bought one.
“Leaving that aside, I think they got the quality of a player the fans will enjoy watching.”
