Ian Maatsen left out of Thomas Tuchel’s pre-season squad as Chelsea set to play in the United States
Ian Maatsen has been left out of Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea squad travelling to the United States for the pre-season tour, as per football.london. The Netherlands under-21 international was out on loan at Coventry City last season.
The Blues are set to travel to Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Charlotte and Orlando. The 20-year-old had been training players that had returned to the squad. Thomas Tuchel is set to take his full squad to the US, but Maatsen has been left behind.
The Dutch national will continue to train in London. A move to Feyenoord was turned down by the Dutch national and sides in the Premier League are said to be interested in his services.
Having been with the U18 and U23 sides since 2018, Maatsen made his first-team debut in 2019. But that was the only appearance the Dutch national mustered for the Blues and he’s been out on loan to Charlton Athletic and Coventry since then.
Last season in the Championship, the left-back featured in 42 games for the Sky Blues. After initially playing as a full-back, Mark Robins preferred to play Maatsen higher up the pitch. He scored three goals in England’s second-tier last term.
Keeping Maatsen a wise option
Maatsen is now likely to leave the club once again and the 20-year-old needs game time to develop further. Chelsea currently have Ben Chilwell, Emerson Palmieri and Marcos Alonso as options for the left-back spot.
Alonso played for the majority of last season, and while spectators appreciate his attacking prowess, the Spaniard has a hard time in defensive situations. Now, the 31-year-old is vying for a move away.
Chilwell’s return is a boost, while Emerson looks like he’s in Tuchel’s plans for now as a backup option. Maatsen remaining with the Blues is something the club should consider.
There is always uncertainty around injuries and the Stamford Bridge side experienced that first-hand last season with both our first-team full-backs on the sidelines. Having another body in the squad wouldn’t be a bad thing.
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The 20-year-old has experience of regular first-team football in the Championship. In our current side, full-backs bombard high up the pitch, and Maatsen showed that he is a capable attacking threat at Coventry.