Barcelona, Real Madrid or Man City - Which club would suit Chelsea's Ian Maatsen best?
Cameron Smith
- 17 Oct 2023 14:11 BST
- 4 min read
Chelsea star Ian Maatsen continues to be linked with a move as he enters the final few months of his contract at Stamford Bridge.
The versatile Dutchman rejected a Transfer Deadline Day move to Burnley in favour of staying in west London, but talk of an exit has bubbled away ever since.
His contract situation is the most notable reason for that, with Chelsea wary they could lose Maatsen on a free transfer next summer if they don’t sell him in January or convince him to sign a new deal.
READ MORE: 'So poor!' - Chelsea trio slammed by Alan Shearer
While Mauricio Pochettino is a huge admirer of the 22-year-old, he is yet to start a Premier League game this season and is evidently viewed as more of an attacker than a defender.
That profiling of Maatsen is probably a fairly fitting description given his immense technical quality and his deficiencies when defending, but it means he is competing with Mykhailo Mudryk (€70 million), Raheem Sterling (€56.2m), Cole Palmer (€47m) and Noni Madueke (€35m) for a place out wide.
Pochettino has favoured a midfield three of Conor Gallagher, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez this season and the trio have formed an outstanding relationship so far. Their skill sets complement each other perfectly and it seems Chelsea have found their midfield solution.
READ MORE: How much have Chelsea spent on transfers under Todd Boehly?
As a result, Maatsen won’t be given many chances in a No.10 position and Levi Colwill, Ben Chilwell and Marc Cucurella are ahead of him in the left-back pecking order.
Maatsen is an excellent squad player for Chelsea, but his contract and playing-time situation has alerted some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City are reportedly all interested, while West Ham United are also keen on signing the Dutchman. But, who should he join?
Which club should Maatsen join if he leaves Chelsea?
FootballTransfers’ data analytics partner SciSports has a ‘Career Advice’ tool, which uses a number of different factors to determine the best club for any particular player.
For Maatsen, SciSports say that Sevilla would interestingly be Maatsen’s best destination. The Spanish side’s playing style is judged to suit how the Dutchman likes to operate and he could feasibly replace Suso in their starting XI.
Roma and Brighton also rank highly as potential options for Maatsen, and while a move to the latter is unlikely given their history with Chelsea, it would make sense from a sporting perspective.
| Club | Club Fit Score |
|---|---|
| 1. Sevilla | 81 |
| 2. Roma | 79 |
| 3. Brighton | 79 |
As for clubs reportedly interested in Maatsen, however, West Ham rank top. David Moyes’ side are ranked as Maatsen’s 19th best option by SciSports thanks to their ‘Club Fit Score’ of 73.
Moyes has sometimes deployed a back three with the Hammers and Maatsen would perfectly suit playing as a left-wing-back with former Chelsea man Emerson behind him.
| Club | Club Fit Score |
|---|---|
| 19. West Ham | 73 |
| 24. Man City | 72 |
| 67. Real Madrid | 67 |
| 120. Barcelona | 63 |
Man City would also be a good move for Maatsen, but it would require Pep Guardiola deploying him in an advanced role or changing how he operates with full-backs.
Real Madrid and Barcelona aren't ideal destinations, according to SciSports.
