Football: The failure of Premier League clubs is once again proving to Borussia Dortmund’s gain as Ian Maatsen and Jadon Sancho both starred in Tuesday’s quarter-final Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid.
Maatsen scored Dortmund’s crucial second goal to give them the lead against Atletico and he sent a pointed message to parent club Chelsea after another brilliant performance that has left Blues fans scratching their heads.
At just 22-years-old, the Dutch defender is a prodigy that Dortmund typically appear to be getting the best out of where others have been unable to do so.
Maatsen is on-loan at the Bundesliga giants until the end of the season and signed a new deal at Stamford Bridge before departing for Germany that keeps him at the club until 2026. But his recent impressive performances raise the question as to why he was allowed to leave in the first place.
After making 15 appearances for Chelsea this term, albeit with less than 400 minutes in total, Maatsen arrived in Dortmund with a point to prove after seeing opportunities limited under Mauricio Pochettino. He’s certainly done that.
Ian Maatsen starred in Borussia Dortmund’s Champions League quarter-final win over Atletico Madrid
The 22-year-old Blues star (right) departed Chelsea on-loan in January after being limited of first-team opportunities
As his shot sailed past Jan Oblak to give Borussia Dortmund one-foot in the Champions League’s final-four, there were likely pangs of pain felt in London.
Maatsen spent last season at Burnley and starred as Vincent Kompany’s side won the Championship in dominant fashion, but later struggled for game time after returning to his parent club.
The youthful left-back was expected to be given more opportunities at Chelsea especially after full-back difficulties with previous injuries to both Ben Chilwell and Marc Cucurella.
Blues boss Pochettino claimed Maatsen would be ‘more involved’ in his squad as recently as December but found himself being transferred to the Signal Iduna Park less than a month later.
‘Now with the injury circumstance [he’ll be more involved],’ Pochettino said speaking at his press conference before playing Sheffield United.
‘He was involved last game but young players sometimes they can impress you in pre-season but you need to give them time after to relax. Sometimes they struggle.’
Dortmund clearly didn’t believe the Argentine as Maatsen was quickly thrust into the club’s starting line-ups and gone on to make 17 appearances in all competitions while showing no signs of aforementioned struggle.
Maatsen scored a decisive goal for Dortmund as they emerged victorious over Atletico to advance to the Champions League semi-finals
Maatsen’s journey to Chelsea
The youngster’s journey to this moment has been a long one, with his current stint in the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Region of Germany the fourth loan move of his Blues career.
Maatsen was spotted as a rising star by Chelsea scouts while playing for PSV Eindhoven and impressed starred in Holland’s Under-21 national team set-up before making the move to England six-years ago.
His versatility saw the 5ft 6in defender play at left-back, wing-back, centre-back and in central midfield during his debut season amongst the ranks at Chelsea’s Cobham academy before later specialising as a full-back.
Maatsen has been shipped out on loan by Chelsea four times since joining the club as a youngster
Maatsen starred during a previous loan move to Coventry where he was named the club’s young player of the season
Previous manager Frank Lampard handed Maatsen his first-team debut in 2019 after watching him and others exceed expectations in the UEFA Youth League final that same year.
However, senior opportunities were hard to come by and a first loan move to Charlton followed. Maatsen quickly became a fan favourite as he made 35 outings in all competitions and scored his first professional goal against Doncaster.
Chelsea believed a further step-up the EFL period was needed to get the best out of the adaptable star and a move was agreed with Coventry where he again became a regular with 41 appearances and was later named the Championship side’s young player of the year.
He continued to impress with another loan move at Burnley in England’s second division
Maatsen’s performances at Burnley earned him a place in that season’s Championship team of the season
He then remained in the second-tier with Burnley and scored four goals as the Clarets raced to the title and Maatsen was named in the division’s team of the season.
That brings us up to present day where after being deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge despite the club’s ongoing crisis for form and league points was shipped off to Germany where Maatsen is again starring in another loan move.
He will return to Chelsea at the end of the season and could have a Champions League winners medal in tow that should be enough for him to finally be given a chance to show his worth to the Blues. But will he want to stay at a club that hasn’t given him a fair chance?
Will Maatsen stay at Chelsea?
The decision to extend Maatsen’s contract before he left for Dortmund highlights how much Chelsea rate the 22-year-old, but it doesn’t necessarily mean he will stay at the Blues.
Lengthening his deal means any interested clubs will have to bow to Chelsea’s demands if they want to strike a deal to seal Maatsen’s permanent departure which could prove to be costly.
Maatsen is currently loving life playing for Dortmund after struggling for chances at Chelsea
Despite previously delighting supporters by hilariously revealing he was staying at Stamford Bridge last summer amidst talk that he could be set to re-join Burnley, Maatsen appears to be considering his options away from the club.
A lack of first-team opportunities in what has been a torrid season for the Blues has given Maatsen plenty of thinking to do and after scoring in Dortmund’s win over Atletico it appears his future may lie away from London and patience has run out.
‘I always believed [I could] play for Chelsea, but unfortunately it didn’t work out,’ he explained to NBC.
Maatsen signed a contract extension at Chelsea until 2026 prior to leaving on another loan
The youngster has been keen to make his mark at Chelsea but could leave on a permanent deal in the summer
‘Now I’m here I’m very grateful for the opportunity. I’m very proud of myself. I kept believing in myself and came here to play my game at the highest level. Today I think I showed a very good performance.’
Whether Chelsea are willing to let him leave is another topic for discussion altogether but their need to sell in the summer as they balance Financial Fair Play regulations could point towards a potential exit.
Dortmund have a knack of turning players with potential into superstars having done so with the likes of Erling Haaland, Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham.
Maatsen is already showing he could be the next big star in the making of the German club’s conveyor belt of talent which would only be Chelsea’s loss.
