Chelsea youngster Ian Maatsen celebrates in a video after he turned down £31.5 million for his return to Burnley to stay at Stamford Bridge… as he tells fans: ‘I’m still here, up the Blues! ‘
- Maatsen celebrated after turning down a return to Burnley
- The youngster was subject to a loan offer with an obligation to buy on Friday
- Chelsea had accepted the £31.5 million offer, but Maatsen rejected the move
Chelsea star Ian Maatsen has pledged his loyalty to the club as he says ‘I’m still here’ in a behind-the-scenes video on deadline day.
The youngster turned down the chance to return to Burnley on a season-long loan with a commitment of £31.5 million on Friday.
Chelsea accepted Burnley’s offer, but Maatsen was keen to stay at Stamford Bridge and fight for his place under Mauricio Pochettino.
And now a video has been released Twitter shows Maatsen as news of Burnley’s bid broke.
Watching Sky Sports News on his sofa, the camera pans to Maatsen following news of Burnley’s bid, with the left-back saying, ‘I’m still here, up the Blues!’
Ian Maatsen celebrated after turning down a transfer to Burnley while staying at Chelsea
The youngster chose not to return to Turf Moor, where he was loaned out last season
It ended up being a fairly quiet day for Chelsea, who completed the signing of Cole Palmer from Manchester City in the morning.
Cobham graduates Maatsen, Conor Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah were all strongly linked with a move, but the trio fell short of the deadline.
Gallagher had interest from Tottenham, while Chalobah was the subject of a bid from Nottingham Forest and further interest on loans from Bayern Munich.
However, the players all remained at Stamford Bridge as the window slammed, while Maatsen watched the drama unfold on deadline day when he refused to return to Vincent Kompany’s side.
It remains to be seen where the youngster will play under Pochettino, having been deployed in an attacking role in pre-season and against AFC Wimbledon on Wednesday night.
Ben Chilwell and Marc Cucurella will provide competition to Maatsen at left back, with Chelsea doing well to slim down their selection as early as the summer.
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