Chelsea loanee Ian Maatsen marked his Borussia Dortmund second game with an assist
Chelsea loanee Ian Maatsen finally opened his Borussia Dortmund account after providing an assist in their 4-0 win over FC Koln. Fans erupted in delight when the left-back found Donyell Malen, who kicked off Dortmund’s goal-fest win.
The left-back produced a delightful assist, dispossessing his opponent before finding Malen from his own half with a long ball. Maatsen completed a move to Dortmund in the winter transfer window and was instantly impressed with his performance after starting in the last two games.
The Blues academy player has a £35 million release clause in his Chelsea contract, and if he keeps up with his performance, then Dortmund will be more than ready to activate that by the end of the season.
At Chelsea, the youngster struggled to find minutes on the pitch as Mauricio Pochettino preferred Levi Colwill as left-back when both Ben Chilwell and Marc Cucurella were injured.
Under the Argentine, Maatsen mostly played as a winger. Maatsen has the talent to develop into one of the more promising left-backs, but it didn’t seem like things would have worked out if he had stayed at Chelsea. He made the right choice in moving to Dortmund, a club famous for developing a lot of young players worldwide.
Maatsen now has a fantastic opportunity to establish his reputation and stamp his influence in the German league. At the end of the season, the Blues will decide whether to recall or trade him away.
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Given that both left-backs have been injury-prone and playing Colwill regularly won’t be possible, the Blues could either look for another left-back or may recall Maatsen if he matures at Dortmund. But we have plenty of time for that, and now that Chilwell is back, Pochettino won’t be as worried since he now has some options at left-back.