Chelsea's Hakim Ziyech will no doubt be looking for a route out of Stamford Bridge in the summer after seeing a January move to PSG fall through and Graham Potter could replace him with academy graduate Harvey Vale.

Could Ziyech leave Chelsea?

Ziyech has endured an underwhelming spell at Chelsea since joining from Ajax in 2020, with the Moroccan failing to replicate the phenomenal form he consistently produced at the Johan Cruyff Arena.

In 165 appearances for the Eredivisie side, he registered 49 goals and 81 assists but has just 14 goals and 11 assists in 102 outings for the Blues.

It seemed as if his Stamford Bridge nightmare would come to an end on deadline day in January when he agreed a loan move to PSG, only for the deal to collapse at the last minute after Chelsea submitted the paperwork late, which is unlikely to improve the 29-year-old's attitude.

This season has been a woeful one for the experienced winger, as he has no goals and just one assist in 13 Premier League appearances, with his 6.47 average rating from WhoScored remarkably ranking him as the 24th-best performer in Potter's squad. Across his whole career for the Blues he only has six league goals to his name.

Roy Keane perhaps put it best when discussing Ziyech on Sky Sports following his wonder goal in the 2-0 win against Spurs last season.

He said (via talkSPORT): “I think the reason he doesn’t play regularly is because he’s inconsistent. He set a good standard today and scored during the week, but he needs to be in line with it.

“To play in one of the big clubs, you have to play weekly and weekly, as talented as he is, but he doesn’t play regularly.”

Chelsea could only dream of an consistent Ziyech this season, however, as the fact is that the £100k-per-week winger has been consistently bad, and Potter must look to replace him in the summer. Especailly as his value nosedives with each week, having already dropped by £23.6m since signing.

Who could replace Ziyech?

Although Todd Boehly would no doubt be willing to spend millions on a replacement, Potter could find a new squad option in Harvey Vale, who has progressed into Chelsea's first team through the academy.

The 19-year-old, who can play as both an attacking midfielder and a winger, has already made five appearances for the senior side and has caught the eye in the Premier League 2 this season, notching three goals and two assists in just nine appearances.

Although a loan spell at Hull City in the Championship didn't go to plan, as he was limited to just three appearances, Vale is still highly rated at Chelsea and will no doubt be given a chance to impress Potter in pre-season.

Teammate Ruben Loftus-Cheek was full of praise for the academy graduate after his display in the 3-2 win against Luton Town last season.

He said: "He did really well, he held his own against some physical and strong players. He didn't look out of place at all. Well done Harvey, I'm sure it felt natural to him. It looked very natural. Hopefully, he can kick on now."

Therefore, if Vale can live up to his potential at Stamford Bridge, there seems no reason why he couldn't replace the wantaway Ziyech in Potter's squad.