Chelsea outcast eyed by London rivals ahead of 'big month' for transfers

Tom Weber

• Updated: 26 Dec 2023 12:00 GMT
• 3 min read

Chelsea outcast Ian Maatsen could be on his way to West Ham in January, according to a report.

The Dutch U21 international is massively struggling for game time at Stamford Bridge and is once again being linked with an exit in 2024. In the summer, after being heavily utilised by Mauricio Pochettino in pre-season, Maatsen spurned a permanent move to former loan club Burnley to remain at Chelsea, likely hoping to be able to build on his summer performances.

However, the season has not gone to plan for the 21-year-old. To date, he has only played 141 minutes of Premier League football, not starting a single game for the Blues in the division this term. In his rare minutes, the left-back has mostly featured on the wing.

His struggles for minutes have not gone unnoticed, of course. Indeed, in October, rumours began spreading that the likes of Barcelona and Man City were plotting to pounce on his expiring contract with a January pre-transfer agreement or a cut-price deal, but Chelsea quickly poured cold water on these reports by triggering a one-year extension.

Nevertheless, his fortunes haven't improved since, so there remains the distinct possibility of him leaving in the winter window.

West Ham have 'a good chance'

According to journalist Dean Jones, West Ham have a long-standing interest in Maatsen and could pursue a deal in January. “Maatsen at Chelsea is somebody that they are interested in again," he told GIVEMESPORT.

"They had a look at him in the summer and I was told that they feel they've got a good chance of keeping him within the Premier League. I think their main competition might come from the continent at the moment, but West Ham are at least going to try again, and see if they can do anything."

“But yeah, it's quite a big month actually for West Ham, and they've got to be really careful about the type of business they do. And also, of course, tread around the issue of David Moyes’ contract, which is starting to expire once we get into the new year."