Mauricio Pochettino does not think there is a way back for one Chelsea player who is currently out on loan.
Chelsea sent Ian Maatsen to Borussia Dortmund in January for the remainder of the season, and it now seems unlikely that he will return to their first-team squad.
Fabrizio Romano has claimed on Substack that Mauricio Pochettino feels that the left-back’s Chelsea career is “probably over”.
“That could very well be the case, with Romano also stating that Maatsen has a £35m release clause in his contract that anyone can activate in the summer.
He has made a great start to life at Dortmund, so it would not be a surprise if someone triggered it. In five Bundesliga appearances, the 21-year-old has already managed to rack up a couple of assists, which is impressive for a full-back.
Mauricio Pochettino believes Ian Maatsen’s Chelsea career is over
If Pochettino is still at Chelsea in the summer, there probably is no way back for Maatsen at Stamford Bridge.
The Argentine constantly overlooked him when he was still at the club, handing the Netherlands U21 international just one start in the Premier League.
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Chelsea have had so many problems at left-back this season, with Ben Chilwell and Marc Cucurella both picking up bad injuries.
Chilwell is back now, but when he was not fit, Pochettino still refused to give Maatsen a chance. The former Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur boss has preferred using Levi Colwill as a left-back in the current campaign, a central defender.
Clearly, then, Maatsen is not a viable left-back option for Pochettino. Looking at how he is performing at Dortmund now, perhaps he should be. But Chelsea seem happy to part ways with their academy graduate after handing him a release clause in his contract.
It could be Maatsen out and Ferland Mendy in, then. Real Madrid are reportedly open to selling the Frenchman, who has been linked with a move to west London.
