Chelsea and Manchester United domino effect to decide West Ham transfer for Ian Maatsen
Any West Ham move for Ian Maatsen could be decided by a Premier League domino effect, as he will stay in West London if Manchester United sign Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella, according to Jacob Steinberg.
Steinberg wrote in The Guardian on 30 August that West Ham and Burnley have been tracking Maatsen, but Cururella’s potential loan move would see him remain at Chelsea, as Mauricio Pochettino has been impressed with the wing-back.
The Hammers were keen on bringing Maatsen to the London Stadium, with the Evening Standard [24 August] claiming they could move for Maatsen alongside Chelsea teammate Conor Gallagher.
Out of their hands for now
Any potential deal to bring Maatsen to East London is out of the club’s hands as things stand, with Chelsea and Pochettino holding the keys to the player’s future after he has turned in multiple impressive performances so far this season.
If he does become available, West Ham will still face stern competition from Burnley. The Dutch wing-back spent last season on loan at Vincent Kompany’s side, and they are keen on a reunion after an extremely impressive loan spell.
So far this season, Maatsen has made two appearances but played just 13 minutes for the Blues, despite impressing in pre-season, as Chelsea vice-captain Ben Chilwell remains the first-choice option for Pochettino’s side.
While at Burnley, he made 39 Championship appearances, scoring four goals and providing six assists from left-back, which was enough to convince multiple Premier League clubs that he could cut it in the top division.
This deal would align with West Ham’s focus on bringing in younger full-back options on both sides as they look to set their squad up for a competitive future after recent success has provided a platform to remain competitive.
In other West Ham news, the club are battling PL sides for a different £30million full-back.