Chelsea begin contract renewal talks with Ian Maatsen — report

Ian Maatsen had perhaps the most impressive preseason out of any Chelsea player — certainly the most unexpectedly impressive — so much so that he’s now potentially set to stay with a new long-term contract.

Maatsen was a key player for Burnley in their promotion campaign from the Championship last season, but Chelsea had rejected a £15m offer from them for his continued stay. However, with just one year left on his contract, it still looked like he would be more than likely heading out the door for good.

The 21-year-old began preseason as the third of three left backs, and actually would end up playing about zero minutes at left back. Instead, he impressed on the wing and even as a No.10 in the center, and that sort of versatility (and ability) has undoubtedly contributed to improving his standing in our long-term planning.

According to the Evening Standard, we’ve now begun “talks over a new deal”. Maatsen himself said just the other day that he “of course want[s] to stay”, so presumably we can agree terms fairly quickly. There are teams waiting in the wings should things go awry, such as West Ham and Ajax Amsterdam, but hopefully Maatsen’s Blues story is only just beginning!