How Charlton Athletic and Coventry City helped £37.5m Chelsea transfer windfall | OneFootball

FLW takes a look Ian Maatsen's early EFL loans with the Addicks and Sky Blues

When Maatsen completed his move from the Blues to Villa for that aforementioned fee in the summer of 2024, it marked the result of a remarkable journey that saw the Dutch left-back develop into one of Europe's most promising talents for that position.

Yet that windfall for Chelsea would arguably never have materialised without his first two loan spells in the EFL, where the Addicks and Sky Blues provided the Dutchman with his first taste of senior football.

It was in League One and the Championship that Maatsen truly found his feet - before eventually catching the eye of Burnley to help with promotion, Borussia Dortmund, and ultimately Unai Emery's project at Villa Park.

Charlton Athletic gave then-Chelsea's Ian Maatsen his first real taste of senior action

Maatsen arrived at Charlton in October 2020 as a raw 18-year-old prospect, more than a year after making his Chelsea debut in their 7-1 Carabao Cup demolition of Grimsby Town.

The Addicks had obviously just dropped down to League One following their previous season's struggles in the second-tier - but still perhaps presented the best opportunity for the teenager to gain regular first-team football for the first time.

This was because previous the Addicks' previous Cobham loans of fellow left-back Jay Dasilva and midfielder Conor Gallagher had proven very successful. Dasilva in particular, being a full-back of the same side, enjoyed two temporary stints with the south-east London club and managed to pick up the club's Player of the Year award in the latter.

Whilst it was Jake Forster-Caskey who ended up winning that honour at the end of 20/21, Maatsen made 35 appearances and contribued to four goals across all competitions for Charlton during that campaign, establishing himself as a fan favourite at The Valley.

Given the simple reason the defender was playing week in and week out in a competitive League One environment rather than Chelsea's youth academy, the experience at Charlton proved just as invaluable to him as it did to both Dasilva and Gallagher.

Then-manager Lee Bowyer provided the Dutchman with a glimpse of what men's football truly demanded, something Maatsen was deemed ‘too small and too weak’ for - as per Chelsea's Life on Loan series.

Yet by the following summer, it was clear that the 5ft 6in left-back proved any doubters wrong and was ready for the step-up to the Championship.

How Coventry City helped Chelsea on their way to £37.5m windfall for Ian Maatsen

Just like Bowyer did one league below, Mark Robins gave Maatsen the freedom to express himself at Coventry City.

In truth, the then-19-year-old's early performances in the West Midlands were so good that they reportedly caught the attention of Barcelona, as per Football Insider, who suggested the Spanish giants had registered an interest in Maatsen ahead of the 21/22 January window.

Obviously, that transfer didn't come to fruition and the defender spent the full season at Coventry - where he ended up playing 42 times across all competitions and contributing to the same amount of goals - four - as he did in south-east London the season prior.

Some Sky Blues fans ended up booing Maatsen upon his return to the CBS Arena with Burnley the following season, but Robins admitted he understood why they did that - because the Dutch defender was just that good.

"I think they like him and that’s probably why they were booing him, because they know what he’s capable of,” Robins told CoventryLive regarding Maatsen playing for Burnley against him.

Who then went on to add, "He played one pass inside in the second half and I clapped it. It was just brilliant, and that’s what he did for us last season because it just opens the whole pitch up for you. So he’s a top player, there’s no doubt about it, and I probably think we miss him and so I am disappointed that he’s not in our team still."

After the left-back's three loan spells in England, you would've expected to see Maatsen playing for Chelsea specifically in the Premier League for years to come - but that only happened a total of 12 times before he was shipped to Borussia Dortmund on loan for the remainder of 23/24.

Ultimately, both the temporary stint with one of Germany's biggest clubs and the subsequent six-year contract offered to Maatsen by Villa wouldn’t have been possible without the early help from Charlton and Coventry.

It goes without saying that the majority of young prospects have to pass through clubs on their journey to the top, but both should be proud that their contribution to Maatsen's development helped him get where he is today.