West Ham United must ready Ian Maatsen contract as Barcelona eye Chelsea ace on free transfer
West Ham United’s transfer business this summer was exceptional, with David Moyes completely rebuilding his midfield following Declan Rice’s departure to Arsenal.
Despite the incredible additions of James Ward-Prowse, Mohammed Kudus and Edson Alvarez, there were still a few deals that Hammers considered but were unable to get over the line before the transfer deadline for one reason or another.
One player who was targeted was Chelsea full-back Ian Maatsen, with Moyes quick to identify the former Burnley loanee as his next target following the arrival of Ward-Prowse as West Ham considered a loan-to-buy deal [The Guardian, 9 August].
Ultimately, Maatsen remained at Stamford Bridge but is yet to sign a new deal and according to the Daily Mail (16 October), the Dutchman is now a target for Barcelona as Xavi’s side consider signing the defender on a free transfer when his current deal expires at the end of the season.
Chelsea are still hoping to extend the 21-year-old’s deal in London, but the attraction of a move to the Spanish giants partnered with Maatsen’s lack of game time may make the defender reluctant to agree to a new contract with Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
If West Ham and Moyes are still interested in making the former Burnley man a Hammers star, they have to begin preparing a contract offer for Maatsen to present to him in January, when he enters the final six months of his stay with the Blues.
Although Emerson has been in good form so far this season, nobody is challenging the Italian’s position in the starting XI as Aaron Cresswell is yet to feature in the Premier League this season, so Maatsen would serve as the ageing full-back’s perfect replacement.
Competing with Barcelona may not be seen as an easy task, but given the Catalan club’s recent struggles with financial restrictions and the possibility that the 21-year-old may not even be guaranteed consistent minutes under Xavi, Moyes may be able to strike.
Teams like West Ham very rarely can pick up their primary targets on free transfers and the opportunity to pick up a player with as much potential as Maatsen without having to spend more than a compensation fee can’t be missed.
If Moyes and the Hammers believe that they still need strengthening at left-back, they have to act sooner rather than later and even if they didn’t want to wait until the summer, it would take a much-reduced fee to bring him to the London Stadium in January, given he’d be so close to the end of his Chelsea contract.
In other West Ham news, international media have slammed Tomas Soucek’s performance for the Czech Republic against the Faroe Islands