Chelsea have spent lucrative sums on whole hosts of players since the turn of the millenia, emerging as one of the most opulent and ambitious clubs of the modern era of football.
However, despite this ostensibly bottomless pit of wealth, the Blues have several options from home soil with capabilities of transcending talent from the youth academy into the first-team reckoning.
Ian Maatsen is one player from the Cobham academy who might earn a shot in Chelsea boss Graham Potter’s set-up in the not-too-distant future, with his current loan move at Championship leaders Burnley bearing fruit.
The Clarets, who were relegated from the Premier League last season, have put forth a formidable start to life back in England’s second tier, sitting in first, losing just twice and currently perching eight points clear of Blackburn Rovers in third place, who occupy the spot below automatic promotion.
Having made 17 appearances in the Championship, the 20-year-old Dutchman has scored two goals and assisted a further four, helping keep seven clean sheets and serving as a creative outlet down the left-back, never shirking from his defensive duties.
It is his all-encompassing approach that will serve him well at Chelsea that will catch the eye of manager Potter, and may earn him a shot in the first team with the hope being that he will be unleashed sooner rather than later.
With the likes of Ben Chilwell and Marc Cucurella signing for fees of £50m and roughly £60m respectively, the club may be prudent to consider the talent already at their disposal, instead of injecting more money into this particular department.
As per Sofascore, Maatsen has produced a 6.98 average rating while plying his trade for the Lancashire-based outfit, recording an average of 1.8 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 1.2 clearances per outing, while also creating eight big chances and averaging 0.9 shots per match.
Having seen performance levels dip before the pause in the season to pave the way for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Maatsen responded in emphatic fashion against QPR, scoring a fine thumping goal and recording a 7.5 match rating to steady the ship and create a foundation for further excellent outings.
His efforts in the “controlled” victory, as proclaimed by Burnley correspondent Alex James when discussing Maatsen’s finish against the Hoops, will go a long way, and should he continue to dazzle, he will indeed continue to climb the footballing ladder.
His approach play will certainly have piqued Potter’s interest, and at just 20 years old he is swiftly maturing into a formidable player despite his tender age and inexperience.
The £11k-per-week ace, who was once described as a “dangerous” asset and a “tough cookie” by Peter van der Veen, Maatsen’s Netherlands coach between U15 and U17 level, is well on the way to forging a reputable and successful career.
The base has been erected, the cement has melded with brick, now he must continue to rise and add layers to an impressive start to a promising career.