French-Tunisian playmaker Haykeul Chikhaoui is the latest player based in North African football to take his talents to the Middle East after the US Monastir attacker completed a move to Emirati side Ajman Club this week. The 26-year-old Marseille native will compete in the UAE Pro League after a successful season in Tunisia’s Ligue 1 Professionnelle, joining for an undisclosed fee.
Chikhaoui began his career in the country of his birth, competing for FC Sochaux before joining Portuguese power club FC Porto at the age of 19 years. He struggled to find regular playing time between his time with reserve side FC Porto B and during a loan with Portuguese second tier club Varzim but has revived his career in Tunisian football. After previously representing Tunisia with the under-21 national team he made his debut for the senior national team with a start in Tunisia’s 1-0 June defeat at Equatorial Guinea in 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying.
After his release from Porto, Chikhaoui joined Stade Tunisien on a free transfer and found initial success before joining Monastir where he accumulated 10 goals and 13 assists over two-and-a-half seasons with the club based on the Tunisian central coast. The 2022-23 season was particularly successful for him with 8 goals and 10 assists in 40 appearances across four different competitions. Chikhaoui contributed 5 assists in 9 matches in the CAF Confederation Cup where USM reached the quarterfinals before falling to Ivorian champions ASEC Mimosas.
