Nottingham Forest do want to sign Chelsea defender Ian Maatsen before the transfer window closes next month. This news comes on the back of emerging news that Brennan Johnson is wanted at Stamford Bridge.
According to The Express journalist Ryan Taylor, the Reds are firmly in the mix for the youngster. He won’t be short of suitors during the summer window given his vast potential.
Although Maatsen is only 21, he’s now at the age where he’s comfortable commanding first-team football. Chelsea aren’t short of left-backs and could now be tempted to let him leave the club.
Forest target Maatsen went out on loan last season, romping to a Championship title with Burnley. He made 42 appearances for the Clarets, scoring four goals and registering eight assists.
That’s not the first time he’s headed out on loan either. Maatsen has also spent time with Charlton and Coventry in the EFL, cutting his teeth as a professional and showcasing his class at both clubs.
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During his time with the Sky Blues, he was praised by goalkeeper Simon Moore. He called him ‘exceptional’ and ‘hugely talented’ following a string of fine performances for the club.
Forest are keen to sign Maatsen
This looks positive. In Maatsen, Forest would get themselves a player who, much like Johnson, is nowhere his peak and could easily improve considerably.
Forest have been linked with a number of left-backs. One of those is Ismail Jakobs from Monaco and a look at last season’s statistics suggests that Forest might be better going for Maatsen instead.
Squawka shows that Maatsen made over double the amount of tackles last season as Jakobs did. Although he was playing in the second tier, the money that Forest would need to spend to get Jakobs probably makes Maatsen a better option.
Maatsen would arrive with the desire to prove himself in the Premier League and furthermore, he could have a point to prove that Chelsea were wrong to let him leave.
Taking everything into consideration, this would likely be a very good deal, if Forest could get Maatsen over the line before the window closes.