Ian Maatsen had one of the best seasons of any of Chelsea’s Loan Army minions this season, albeit one that flew a bit under the radar, since he was at Charlton Athletic, in the third division. And while Charlton flirted with promotion (or at least the promotion playoffs) in League One all season, they eventually fell just short of the top six.
The 19-year-old left back impressed on an individual level however, and his manager, Nigel Adkins, certainly wouldn’t mind having him back in South London — even if he knows that Maatsen is probably set for bigger and more challenging things.
“I was very impressed with both [Maatsen and Liverpool loanee Liam Millar]. I would imagine that both will go on loan again next season to Championship clubs. However, if that doesn’t happen then we would certainly be interested in bringing them back.”
-Nigel Adkins; source: London News
Chelsea have an abundance of left backs in the first-team at the moment, so another loan season for Maatsen would be well timed in order to try to make the team next summer, and challenge Ben Chilwell. Like many modern full backs, Maatsen is also capable in midfield and even as an out-and-out winger, where he deputized for The Addicks towards the end of the season.