Borussia Dortmund continues and almost has a Dutch defender
Sunday, January 7, 2024 at 00:25
Ian Maatsen is on his way to Borussia Dortmund. Florian Plettenberg of the German branch of Sky Sports reported this on the night from Saturday to Sunday. All parties involved have reached a verbal agreement and the intention is that 21-year-old Maatsen will exchange Chelsea for Dortmund on loan until the end of the season.
There were illuminating discussions between Dortmund, Chelsea and Maatsen’s management on Saturday and it is expected that the loan deal will be announced shortly. It is not yet known whether Dortmund has negotiated a purchase option during the negotiations.
The winter transition from Maatsen to Dortmund seemed doubtful a few days ago. English media reported that BVB will have to pay a lot for Chelsea’s left back. The price tag is 35 million euros, it was announced last Wednesday.
The Dutch left back still has a contract with Chelsea until next summer and is well in the market. Burnley and West Ham United also recently showed interest, but Dortmund now clearly seems to have the best credentials.
Chelsea initially felt more in favor of a direct takeover, in order to raise money for new acquisitions. However, the intention now is for Maatsen to leave for Dortmund on a rental basis. There is a good chance that both clubs will talk about a permanent transfer after this season.
Despite a significant wave of injuries, manager Mauricio Pochettino has only allowed Maatsen to start once in the Premier League this season. The Oranje youth international is therefore on the candidate list to be sold. Maatsen was on the bench for 90 minutes on Saturday at Chelsea, which won 4-0 against Preston North End in the third round of the FA Cup.
No confidence from manager
Maatsen hardly featured in Pochettino’s plans this season, who usually made different choices in the left back position. The thirteen-time Dutch Junior international is experiencing stiff competition at Stamford Bridge and therefore now seems to be getting his money’s worth.
This season the counter stands at 400 playing minutes, spread over 16 games for the Blues. Maatsen made his starting debut for Chelsea last week in the match against Crystal Palace (2-1 win). Remarkably, the left foot played that match as a right winger.
If Maatsen does indeed move to Dortmund, he will play outside England for the first time in his career. The wing defender played in the youth of Feyenoord, Sparta Rotterdam and PSV and exchanged the youth academy of the Eindhoven team for that of Chelsea in the summer of 2018.
2024-01-06 23:25:00
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