Chelsea Star Ian Maatsen has informed the Premier League’s biggest clubs that he wants to permanently join Borussia Dortmund during the summer transfer window.
A year ago, Maatsen was with Burnley in the Championship. After returning to Chelsea, he struggled to get minutes under Mauricio Pochettino. He therefore made the decision to go on loan to Germany.
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Maatsen, who left Stamford Bridge to sign a new contract, has been outstanding for the Bundesliga’s biggest clubs this year. Earlier this week, he scored his first-ever goal in the Champions League.
Maatsen stated he would like to remain in Germany following Dortmund’s 4-2 victory over Atletico Madrid in their Champions League quarterfinal match. He claimed to feel “very comfortable” at his loan club.
After the game on Tuesday night, Maatsen said to CBS Sports, as reported by Mail Online “I always believed [I could] play for Chelsea but unfortunately for some reason it didn’t work out as it should’ve.”
Maatsen Football Journey
When Maatsen was playing for PSV Eindhoven, Chelsea scouts saw him as a rising star. Prior to moving to England six years ago, he was a star player for Holland’s Under-21 national team.
During his first season in the Chelsea Cobham academy, the 5′ 6″ defender showed versatility by playing at left-back, wing-back, center-back, and central midfield. Later, he specialized as a full-back.
2019 saw Maatsen make his first-team debut under former manager Frank Lampard, who had seen him and several others surpass expectations in the UEFA Youth League final that year.
Senior opportunities proved to be scarce, though, and Charlton was the recipient of the first loan move. After making 35 appearances across all competitions and scoring his first goal as a professional against Doncaster, Maatsen swiftly rose to popularity among the supporters.
Chelsea decided to give the versatile star more playing time in the EFL in order to maximize his potential. As a result, they reached an agreement with Coventry, where he made 41 appearances, once more established himself as a regular, and went on to win the Championship team’s young player of the year award.
After that, he played for Burnley in the second division, where he scored four goals as the Clarets quickly won the championship and Maatsen was selected for the division’s team of the year.
That brings us to the present, when Maatsen was shipped off to Germany where he is once again starring in a loan move, having been deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge despite the club’s ongoing crisis for form and league points.
Despite playing less than 400 minutes overall in his 15 Chelsea appearances this season, Maatsen came to Dortmund needing to prove himself because he felt that Pochettino had given him few opportunities.
He has undoubtedly accomplished that, establishing himself in Germany and giving Borussia Dortmund a head start in the Champions League final four by blasting a shot past an Oblak.
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