Chelsea left-back Ian Maatsen has reaffirmed his commitment to the club, with a video circulating online in which the 21-year-old celebrates rejecting a move to Burnley.
Despite Chelsea accepting Burnley’s offer, which included a £31.5 million obligation to buy, Maatsen opted to decline the opportunity for a season-long loan return to Burnley.
Instead, he expressed his desire to remain at Stamford Bridge and compete for his place in the team.
A video on Twitter captures Maatsen’s reaction to Burnley’s bid, offering a glimpse of his determination to stay with Chelsea.
Ian Maatsen was recorded on Snapchat saying ‘Up the Blues, I’m still here’ whilst his Sky stated he was off to Burnley.
😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/jEd6IsJiEO
— george (@StokeyyG2) September 2, 2023
Sitting on the sofa watching Sky Sports News, Maatsen was filmed precisely as news of Burnley’s offer broke, with the defender promptly responding: “I’m still here, up the Blues!”
In comparison to the rest of their transfer window, it was a fairly quiet transfer deadline day for Chelsea, who completed the signing of Cole Palmer from Manchester City in the morning.
Academy graduates Maatsen, Conor Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah were all heavily rumoured with moves away from west London, but no interested party was able to reach an agreement in time, with the trio set to remain with the squad.
Gallagher was the subject of interest from Tottenham, while Nottingham Forest submitted a bid for Chalobah, with Bayern Munich attempting to sign the 24-year-old on loan.
Maatsen, meanwhile, was watching the drama unfold from his sofa as he snubbed the chance of a reunion with Vincent Kompoany at Turf Moor, following on from an excellent loan-spell with the Clarets last season.
Maatsen has been used as a substitute in two of their three Premier League matches so far this season, and played all 90 minutes of Chelsea’s 2-1 EFL Cup win over AFC Wimbledon on Wednesday night.
Ben Chilwell is currently Pochettino’s first-choice in that position, but Maatsen will be hoping to push the England international all the way amid competition from Marc Cucurella.