There was no shortage of change at Chelsea in the summer of 2022. While new owners came and a transformation behind the scenes got underway, the Blues also had to attempt to get on with the normality of preparing for a new season.
An ill-fated trip to the USA awaited but the annual return of players to the club's Cobham training base came before that for some. It's acknowledged that Graham Potter's group of 31 senior players is more bloated than ideal, while the Premier League season adds a number of complications on that front, it's a prospect Chelsea are left with most summers.
Chelsea have 20 players out on loan, at various stages of their careers and come pre-season decisions must be made over their futures, and whether they are entitled to much time training with the first team to prove their value. Or whether it is better to embed them with their temporary teammates as soon as possible.
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Ian Maatsen was one of the players involved in Chelsea's first team training when pre-season started on July 2nd but was ultimately left of the squad that travelled to the USA. His competition for a position at left back - Marcos Alonso, Emerson Palmieri, Ben Chilwell and Kenedy - all travelled to Los Angeles. Only Chilwell remained at the club by the end of the transfer window.
There are definitely questions surrounding the decision to include so many players who did not see their future at Stamford Bridge but ultimately, the decision to resolve the future of the Dutch youth international was a wise one. It was a priority for Maatsen who clearly wanted to avoid the situation that the likes of Joao Felix, Enzo Fernandez, Mykahilo Mudryk, Noni Madueke, Benoit Badiashile and David Datro Fofana all found themselves in come January.
Speaking recently, he said: "I wanted to get the loan sorted as soon as possible, before the season started, to make sure that I was here from the beginning and not having to adapt myself while playing games, because sometimes it can take a bit longer to get used to new players and new places. That’s why I chose to go to Burnley at the start and be there from the first day of the season.
"That first game, I’d only been training with the team for something like one week, I didn’t even know most of the boys yet. So that game was special, because it was the first Championship game of the season, on the Friday night, everyone was watching it and luckily I scored and I played well."
Maatsen's winning goal against Huddersfield was a sign of things to come. He has enjoyed his most productive season at the senior level and produced four goals and five assists from 29 appearances on the left flank for the Clarets.
The 20-year-old impressed on earlier loans with Charlton and Coventry City but continues to grow. Maatsen has stepped from League One to the Championship and now to the runaway leaders of the division. The logical next step would appear to be the Premier League
"Before, my first loan was just to get the experience, to play men’s football," said the Burnley loanee. "The second loan with Coventry was more to get the whole picture, with all the fans allowed, because my time at Charlton was during Covid.
"This one is really focusing on my development, where I can be in the next step, whether it’s Chelsea in a few months or whenever. But this really shows that I’m feeling comfortable and learning from my mistakes and gaining confidence to grow even more.
"That’s why I chose to come here for one more year in the Championship, to make sure I got more experience with a different kind of pressure on myself, and it’s gone well so far. So I just want to continue these good steps going forward and see what happens after the end of the season."
Potter has squad issues to resolve at the moment, and when Chelsea come to trim down their group in the summer, the problem will only be exacerbated. With Chilwell, Marc Cucurella and Lewis Hall having all featured on the left side of defence, Maatsen could pose another problematic decision to arise again.
Chelsea must decide their best options early and resolve the futures of the remainder speedily for the benefit of both player and team.
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