Chelsea have endured a disappointing season but when the squad return for pre-season they are set to have a champion among their ranks. While few have lit up Stamford Bridge this season Ian Maatsen was a star at Turf Moor as he helped Burnley to win the Championship and earned a place in the division's team of the season.
Having impressed on loan at Charlton in League One and Coventry in the Championship ahead of winning the title with the Clarets and produced four goals and six assists in 2022/23, the next logical step for Maatsen is the Premier League. The question quickly arises: will that be with Chelsea?
In many ways seeing Marc Cucurella arrive last summer to play on the left of a back three and to provide support to Ben Chilwell, would make it seem difficult to convince Maatsen of a clear pathway. The Spaniard's form has been sharply compared to that of Maatsen since his arrival for in excess of £60million, perhaps making any decision to overlook Maatsen now one that will be contested.
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The Dutch defender's future is far from set in stone, though it is understood Chelsea have considered cashing in on the defender. Burnley remain interested in seeing Maatsen return but have yet to come to an agreement with the Blues but another loan has not been ruled out by the west London side.
While Vincent Kompany's side are already back in training ahead of next season, Chelsea's rest has barely got under way and for Maatsen the under-21 Euros await. For the moment the 21-year-old plans to return to Cobham.
Maatsen told the official Chelsea website: "I think both ways. I had the time to enjoy the win and get my rest, but also I can’t sit still at home so I’m always busy training or just doing stuff. So I’ve just been preparing myself for the next step, to be prepared for anything that comes my way. Also this year we’ve got the Under-21 Euros with the national team, so I’m preparing myself for that too. It’s nice to play football for your country and I will come back to Cobham even more prepared, so it’s good."
It will be no easy task for Maatsen to break into Chelsea's first team, even after a difficult season. Ben Chilwell will stand as the side's current number one with Cucurella providing support. Lewis Hall's consistency late in the Premier League season could also have thrown a spanner in the works with a decision on whether the 18-year-old will have a first team role or require a loan.
Four players will not easily go into one position even with the versatility Cucurella, Hall and Maatsen hold, particularly with no European football to offer easy rotation opportunities.
Like Hall, Maatsen will still qualify as an under-21 player next season, meaning he would not count towards Chelsea's bloated squad numbers. So it may not necessarily mean that Maatsen is down the pecking order with no opportunity. However, with the Blues needing to quickly trim their squad to ensure that Mauricio Pochettino has a manageable group to work with, ensuring a role for Maatsen quickly might prove difficult without time to prove himself in training.
The young full-back hopes to once again enjoy a 'family feeling' to have a special season in 2023/24. Chelsea will be trying to find that themselves given the volume of players deemed disillusioned or with their heads elsewhere. Maatsen may need to depart if he hopes to replicate the environment he enjoyed at Burnley and perhaps that could be on his mind.
He said: "Yeah, I think this season was a really special season, but also a beautiful season. Having Vincent Kompany as manager of an English team was really exciting. When I first went there it was straight away a family feeling. We worked hard with each other, we knew each other more and more, on and off the pitch, so it was a really beautiful season with loads of experience and enjoyment for me. I couldn’t really have hoped for more and I hope whatever next season is going to hold for me it can be the same."
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