Chelsea could risk losing one of their young stars in the January transfer window if he doesn’t start getting more minutes on the pitch. And it would appear that full-back Ian Maatsen has already grown tired of his situation after he surprisingly commented on a Manchester United player’s Instagram post before later deleting it.
The Dutch U21 international spent last season on loan with Burnley, helping them to win the Championship and gain promotion back into the Premier League. But since returning to Stamford Bridge this term, he has only made eight Premier League appearances under new boss Mauricio Pochettino and all of them have been off the bench.
His only full 90 minutes of the season so far came at home to AFC Wimbledon in the Carabao Cup on August 30 but has since been restricted to a bit-part role.
The 21-year-old was an unused substitute for Chelsea during their midweek 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford and it was possibly this frustration that led Maatsen to comment on social media after the match.
When Red Devils midfielder Soyfan Amrabat wrote on his Instagram account: “Great spirit and great performance! Thanks for the amazing support’,” Maatsen oddly replied with a flame and saluting emoji. He would later delete the reply but it had already been picked up on by Chelsea fans who were not best pleased by his actions.
The attacking full-back came close to leaving Stamford Bridge in the summer. Following his successful loan spell at Turf Moor, Burnley reportedly returned and made an offer of another loan with an obligation to buy for £31.5m.
The offer was accepted by Chelsea but Maatsen was reluctant to bring his Blues career to a definitive conclusion and ended up staying in West London.
Despite his near-departure and limited minutes under Pochettino, Maatsen is reportedly still held in high regard by Chelsea’s top brass. But with the January transfer window around the corner, it could be time for the 21-year-old to make another move, with capital rivals West Ham United now linked with a possible transfer.
Journalist Paul Brown told GiveMeSport: “Maatsen is a really good player. I can see this being a really good fit for West Ham. I’m not surprised they’re interested. I think he’s very underrated and a player that Chelsea have only considered selling because they see it as a good way to bring some money in basically.
“I think he’s very highly-rated inside the club and I think he would do a really good job for West Ham if he was to go there.”
