Chelsea’s spending habits recently under Todd Boehly have reached levels never seen before in the Premier League, with the club spending a grand total of £323m during the January transfer window alone.
This amounted to more than the entire outlay by teams in the other big five leagues – Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1 – during the same timeframe.
Strangely enough, splashing the cash on players hasn’t exactly helped their cause, with the Blues currently occupying 11th spot in the Premier League table and heading for their worst season in years.
Whoever arrives in the summer as their new manager certainly has the players at his disposal to build a team which could win trophies and challenge in Europe, yet due to financial fair play regulations, the spending may be capped going forward, and they will have to perhaps turn to the academy for future diamonds.
One such player who could save the Stamford Bridge outfit millions is left-back Ian Maatsen who is currently shining in the Championship for Burnley this season.
Who is Ian Maatsen?
The Dutchman has been at the club since 2018 and has enjoyed rapid progress through the youth teams, although he has only made one senior appearance for Chelsea.
A series of loan moves to the second tier have certainly helped him secure regular game time, as the 21-year-old has amassed 116 appearances in spells at Charlton Athletic, Coventry City and now with Burnley, who he has helped win promotion back to the top flight at the first time of asking.
His performances under Vincent Kompany – who could well be the new Chelsea manager next term – have been nothing short of incredible.
Across 36 matches in the Championship, Maatsen has averaged a solid 7.00 Sofascore rating while his season's heatmap proves that he is as comfortable attacking as he is defending, maurading up and down the left-hand side with ease.
Recently named in the second tier's Team of the Year, he has registered ten goal contributions – four goals and six assists, while creating 11 big chances and making 1.1 key passes per game, certainly demonstrating just how effective he has been in the opposition third.
With 1.9 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 3.8 duels won per game, the Dutchman is no slouch defensively and finding a left-back who can both attack and defend as well as he does could cost the club yet more money in the transfer window.
Boehly could save his cash and instead give the 21-year-old a chance next season. Praise from his former youth coach at international level, Peter van der Veen, suggests he has the resilience to succeed in the Premier League, lauding him as a “tough cookie” previously.
Ending the season on a high note will be the next step for the youngster before embarking on his most important pre-season yet with the club.