Chelsea look set to continue their wholesale changes in the New Year with Ian Maatsen reportedly attracting plenty of interest from clubs including Liverpool, but Jurgen Klopp is at risk of falling into the Blues’ trap. Todd Boehly and co have made quite the introduction to English football since taking over the Stamford Bridge outfit just last year.
Over £1billion has been spent on new players with a host of regulars being sold such as Mason Mount, Kai Havertz and Mateo Kovacic among others. Chelsea have had no option but to cash in on some of their more long-standing players due to the sheer number of purchases being made.
They’ve arguably inflated the market with the players they’ve bought, such as the record-breaking £115million fee used on Moises Caicedo. It’s led to other clubs pushing up their asking price when Chelsea are involved to price other teams out of a move.
But the Blues have also set high asking prices for their own players with some fetching higher than expected bids this past summer. Both Havertz and Mount were sold for a combined £125m to Arsenal and Manchester United respectively.
Neither player has lived up to that price tag since their moves with serious questions already being asked on whether they will turn things around. Chelsea are reportedly hoping to raise more cash in the winter window with TEAMtalk claiming Maatsen will be put up for sale.
Burnley had a £31m bid accepted for the left-back in the summer, but he decided to stay at Stamford Bridge and fight for his place. But Chelsea have seemingly indicated that he has no future at the club with both Liverpool and City said to be interested in the Netherlands Under-21 international.
Andy Robertson’s injury has highlighted Liverpool’s shortage of options at full-back with Kostas Tsimikas the only senior cover. Teenagers Luke Chambers and Calum Scanlon are set to be given opportunities to prove themselves over the next few months.
Maatsen offers more experience than Liverpool’s academy players having spent three years on loan in the EFL. But he’s not had much experience at the elite level, making him a gamble purchase for any top club looking to bring in more cover.
At close to £31m, that gamble is a high price to pay for a club like Liverpool with a limited budget. Chelsea have managed to get both Arsenal and United to stump up the cash for inflated asking prices recently.
But Liverpool need only look at Havertz and Mount’s lack of progress at their new clubs to suggest that money could be better spent elsewhere.