Chelsea FC left back Ian Maatsen has departed from Stamford Bridge, in search of more playing time. He’ll be on loan for the rest of the season at Borussia Dortmund, his new temporary club announced. This is not the beginning of the end for the 21-year-old at Chelsea, as he recently signed a contract extension that will keep him at Stamford Bridge until 2026.
When it comes to Maatsen highlights, the goal he scored during the preseason friendly at the University of North Carolina has to be at the top of the list.
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It was a nice scoring strike that Maatsen achieved at the Tar Heels college football stadium in Chapel Hill. Maatsen gives Dortmund a player who is very versatile. He can play in multiple positions all over the pitch, but he is a fullback first and foremost.
“Because of our current squad situation we decided to act on the left-back position this winter,” reads a club statement attributed to Dortmund sports director Sebastian Kehl.
“Ian fits our profile with his strengths. He has a lot of pace, a strong left foot and can play various positions.”
Fun fact: Chelsea and Dortmund met in a preseason friendly at Soldier Field in Chicago this past summer. And also in the UEFA Champions League knockout round last season.
BVB need a lot of help this season, as they currently sit fifth in the Bundesliga table, six points adrift of the top four and 15 off the pace for top spot. Maatsen is their second signing of the January window, behind Jadon Sancho. The Manchester United winger now goes back to Dortmund, on loan for the rest of the season, and he could even feature against Darmstadt tomorrow.
“We are happy that Jadon is finally with us. He had a lot of fun on the training pitch. He is healthy, he has trained a lot in the last few weeks,” Dortmund boss Edin Terzic said earlier today.
“We will use the session again today and see how far he is.”
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
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