Romano confirms Chelsea U-turn for £31m star as Pochettino looks to fend off Premier League interest
Chelsea stars Ian Maatsen, Nicolas Jackson and Carney Chukwuemeka
Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Chelsea are trying to tie Ian Maatsen down to a new long-term contract in order to fend off Premier League interest.
The defender was subject to plenty of transfer speculation throughout the summer. Maatsen spent last season on loan with Burnley where he impressed in the Championship.
Burnley were one of the clubs who tried to sign the defender this summer, but they were ultimately unsuccessful in their attempt.
Despite Chelsea agreeing a £31.5m deal to sell the defender, Maatsen himself snubbed the deal in favour of staying at Stamford Bridge.
While Mauricio Pochettino clearly rates the versatile star, Chelsea are well aware that he only has one year to run on his current deal. As the Dutch star has decided to stick around at Chelsea, the club have now formulated a new plan to protect his long-term value.
Romano has clarified the current state of play regarding the Chelsea defender and how the club plans to move forward with the 21-year-old.
“Chelsea want Ian Maatsen to sign new long term deal — this was also issue on Deadline Day as Chelsea agreed on £31m package with Burnley due to contract situation… but Maatsen rejected,” Romano confirmed.
“Future now depends on contract; new deal or solution to be found on the market in 2024.”
Maatsen could be a star
After showcasing his talents with Burnley last season, it’s obvious to see why Vincent Kompany wanted to re-sign the defender. Maatsen played as an attacking full-back under Kompany and produced an impressive 10 goal contributions.
With how attacking Pochettino likes his full-backs to be, Maatsen could be a star under the new Chelsea boss. After snubbing the move to Burnley, he will now be fully focused on life in London.
Along with Burnley, West Ham also held an interest in the 21-year-old. Although they were ultimately unable to strike a deal with Chelsea.
Pochettino took a shine to the defender during pre-season and experimented with using him in a more advanced position. After some early signs of promise, Maatsen will no doubt back himself to get into the starting lineup.
“So far, he is in my plan, yes,” Pochettino confirmed during pre-season. “I am so pleased with him, as I’ve said, because of his attitude, commitment and his understanding of the game.
“He is a player that you can use in different positions and that is a good thing for the team and the coaching staff. It is always good to have this type of player.”
In the Premier League so far, Maatsen has been used as a substitute on three different occasions by Pochettino and he has racked up a total of 116 across all competitions.
