Chelsea youngster Ian Maatsen already has many big fans among the club’s staff right now.
That is according to a report from The Athletic.
They claim that Ian Maatsen, who’s only 21, has ‘no shortage of advocates inside and outside Chelsea’.
The same goes for 18-year-old Blues talent Lewis Hall, too.
Maatsen enjoyed a really successful spell last year at Burnley during their title-winning season in the Championship, so it’s great to see him currently involved in Chelsea’s pre-season tour of the United States.
The young left-back thrived during his year-long loan at Turf Moor, especially as an attacking threat when flying down the wing. We’re convinced he should be playing Premier League football during the 2023/24 campaign in some capacity.
The Athletic reports that Chelsea have received approaches from the likes of Nottingham Forest, West Ham, Wolfsburg and Benfica for Maatsen. Burnley are viewed as favourites to re-sign the £20million full-back, though.
Described as “brilliant” by Coventry City manager Mark Robins (Coventry Telegraph), Maatsen has only ever played one game for Chelsea’s first team.
Could he have a future moving forward under new Blues head coach Mauricio Pochettino, though?
It’s interesting to note that Pochettino has been spotted using the young full-back in a different role on the training pitch. Journalist Nizaar Kinsella explained on Twitter that Maatsen has been deployed as a winger during a shape exercise in a 4-2-3-1.
The competition at left-back is certainly tough at Stamford Bridge when you factor in Ben Chilwell, Marc Cucurella and Lewis Hall. We’ll be intrigued to see the outcome after pre-season.