£35m deal agreed, Mauricio Pochettino sacked - Final Ian Maatsen Chelsea transfer verdict

Chelsea could have a representative in the Champions League final. Despite not being in the competition this year, their impact is still being felt.

Ian Maatsen, less than five months into his loan at Borussia Dortmund, is on the verge of achieving something truly great. He is one game away from being a starting full-back in a Wembley showcase at the pinnacle of European club football.

Twelve months ago he was playing Championship football, travelling to Bloomfield Road and Reading, St Andrew's Stadium and Huddersfield. On Wednesday night he was being cheered on by the Yellow Wall of Borussia Dortmund fans at a packed Signal Iduna Park and pitted himself against Kylian Mbappe.

Whilst Chelsea struggle once more, sat in ninth heading into their clash with Tottenham on Thursday, Maatsen is enjoying the first Champions League journey of his career. In 2021, when the Blues were crowned European champions for a second time in their history, he had just finished a second senior season in the EFL at Coventry City.

Now he's arguably the best left-back on Chelsea's books. Ben Chilwell has had another injury-hit season, Marc Cucurella is inconsistent and still looks extremely poor value for money, even Levi Colwill is out with fitness issues having deputised out of position under Mauricio Pochettino this season.

It was only in August that the head coach said that Maatsen was very much in his plans for the campaign. «I am so happy with him,» the head coach said during the pre-season tour of America. «He is a player that can play in different positions. He has quality, he understands the game, and he is such a clever player.»

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