Chelsea left-back Ian Maatsen has broken his silence amidst strong links with a move to West Ham United.
West Ham target Ian Maatsen is far from first choice left-back under Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea, and he has been heavily linked with a move to the London Stadium recently.
Hammers boss David Moyes desperately needs to bolster his left-back ranks at the London Stadium in the January transfer window.
Emerson Palmieri has been fantastic for us, but we cannot continue to rely on the hapless Aaron Cresswell as his backup.
Maatsen, 21, would be a superb signing for us and he could well leave Stamford Bridge this winter, he’s said so himself.
The Dutchman has been given just 106 Premier League minutes under Pochettino this season (Transfermarkt), and is now behind Marc Cucurella, Levi Colwill and the currently injured Ben Chilwell in the left-back pecking order at Chelsea.
The young defender has now opened up on his future…
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
West Ham target Ian Maatsen speaks out
The Chelsea left-back has left the door open to leaving Stamford Bridge, if he continues to struggle for regular first-team football under Pochettino.
Maatsen admitted that accepting you’re not going to be playing regularly is a difficult thing to do, when speaking exclusively to AD:
“I still think it’s possible to play more at Chelsea. Accepting you won’t play is difficult, as a young boy you always want more. I get confidence from the manager’s words and am ready when the opportunity comes. Meanwhile, I have to keep all options open. Maybe I’ll have to make a difficult decision later on, but then Chelsea will also let me know.”
If I were Moyes, I would be going all out for Maatsen in January now.
The 21-year-old Chelsea left-back would provide proper competition and cover for Emerson, and it goes without saying that he’d be a huge upgrade on Cresswell.
The Athletic claim that Ian Maatsen could be available for use £20 million, and that would represent fantastic value for West Ham in my opinion.
He possesses pace in abundance, is a brilliant tackler and has the energy and stamina required to play the wing-back role if need be as well.
Hopefully Moyes manages to get this one done in January. It certainly seems like Maatsen is open to leaving Chelsea this winter.
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