A new left-back was a key piece of business that needed to be done at Coventry City this summer and, at last, a new left-back has been found. Chelsea youngster, Ian Maatsen, is the man that arrives to fill the void and is presented with a great opportunity to establish himself in the Championship, off the back of a reasonably successful stint in League One last year with Charlton Athletic. Likely to be the team’s first-choice left wing-back for the entirety of the season, a lot is resting on Ian Maatsen taking the step up in his stride.
As one of Chelsea’s brighter young prospects, Maatsen is likely to consider the idea that he won’t be able to make the step up to the Championship as close to laughable. Maatsen is, first and foremost, a very technically adept footballer who is comfortable receiving the ball in tight areas and plays with a positivity to get forward at just about every opportunity. In that sense, the Dutchman may prove to be an upgrade on Sam McCallum, offering greater threat and quality in attack down the left-side, which will provide the creative players in this Coventry City side with a great outlet. The question over Maatsen is primarily over his defensive ability, especially as he is fairly short in stature, but there is a determined edge to Maatsen’s defending that may surprise a few.
While the preference heading into the new season would have been to find a longer-term option at left wing-back than Maatsen, he may well prove to be the best for the position that the club could have realistically recruited. A player on the way up in his career, this may be the only window in which a club like Coventry City could have signed a player like Ian Maatsen. While his time in Sky Blue is likely to be limited to a year, if Mark Robins can get the best out of Maatsen’s attacking instincts, it should prove to be a successful spell.
Sideways Sammy 