Chelsea loanee Ian Maatsen beat Maximilian Beier and Xavi Simons to Bundesliga’s Rookie of the Month for January
Chelsea loanee Ian Maatsen seems to be enjoying his time at Borussia Dortmund, and the left-back has already impressed with his performance. The Blues academy player has now been voted as the Bundesliga’s Rookie of the Month for January, beating out Hoffenheim’s Maximilian Beier and RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons.
He was bound to be one of the top players because Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino was impressed by his performance during the pre-season tour to the USA.
But it’s different when you play in the Premier League and pre-season, and it was Maatsen’s first season playing in the English top league. So it is reasonable that he would have a hard time finding it to settle in the league.
Moreover, Ben Chilwell and Marc Cucurella were ahead of him in the pecking order and have been playing in the league for many years. So it was evident he would barely get minutes on the pitch.
Loaning him to a different league only made sense, and joining Borussia Dortmund was the most sensible option. The club has moulded plenty of young players and made them superstars over the years.
Maatsen had remarkable talents, and it’s possible that the Premier League proved too challenging for him to adjust, leading to a transfer to the Bundesliga, which has considerably less intensity. He has now quickly established a reputation for himself, and if he remains consistent then he is bound to flourish there.
His sale will also help the club make a great profit, given that he is an academy player and will generate a good amount of money, which will help the club avoid breaching Financial Fair Play after hefty spending in the last three transfer windows.
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Maatsen already has two assists as a left-back in just five games and if he remains persistent with his scintillating performances, then maybe the Blues could increase his asking price in the contract.