Nottingham Forest could now be set to emulate the success earned by one of the Premier League's top coaches…
Who are Nottingham Forest signing this summer?
Having already made their move for Chris Wood permanent, as well as securing the shrewd acquisition of Ola Aina on a free transfer, Steve Cooper's squad is shaping up nicely given they have also begun cutting down their bloated squad.
Departures for Jesse Lingard, Jack Colback, Lyle Taylor and a number of loanees mean space is once again freed up for another summer of spending.
One such asset that would fit perfectly into their system is Ian Maatsen, who was noted as a reported target of the Tricky Trees just last week. Despite the £15m fee mentioned to pry him from Chelsea, this would still represent fine value to invest in the future of such an exciting young talent.
He is fresh off the back of a fine campaign on loan at Burnley, ready to tackle the top flight as a marauding wing-back for Cooper.
How good is Ian Maatsen?
Despite being only 21 years old, the Dutchman enjoyed a starring year most recently at Turf Moor, thriving within Vincent Kompany's free-flowing system, and proving to be a key asset in their comfortable Championship promotion.
He would feature 42 times across all competitions, notching ten goal contributions from the defence. For comparison, his four goals in the league would have made him the joint-third-highest scorer at Stamford Bridge last term.
Often beginning games at left-back, it would take little time at all for Maatsen to begin pushing forward, inverting to move into areas where he can truly exert his will on the game.
Such an ability to do so from that particular flank immediately draws parallels with Joao Cancelo, who enjoyed a fine few years doing so at Manchester City, slowly popularising such a role which reached its pinnacle during the 2021/22 season.
The Portugal international would maintain a 7.33 average rating in the league that year, as his eight goal contributions fed into his 1.1 key passes and 2.3 tackles per game, via Sofascore.
For comparison, Maatsen would record a 7.07 average rating of his own last season in the Championship, also mustering one key pass, 1.4 interceptions and 1.9 tackles per game, via Sofascore.
Coventry City goalkeeper Simon Moore sought to praise such an outstanding loan term, noting: "The kid is bright, he’s hugely talented, he wants to learn, and he never gives up."
His desperation to progress the play can be further emphasised through his underlying figures, as when compared to other full-backs across Europe, the Netherlands U21 international ranks in the top 13% for non-penalty goals per 90, the top 6% for progressive passes per 90, and the top 4% for progressive carries per 90, via FBref.
Pep Guardiola can be credited with the popularisation of the inverted full-back, as one of the top coaches to first bring it to prominence on the world stage; his praise aimed towards Cancelo serves to detail exactly what is expected of someone featuring in that position: "Defensively sometimes he needs to be consistent but when he is consistent, his focus is fantastic. He’s a fantastic guy and a football player."
Maatsen perfectly encapsulates these all-around qualities, and with his entire career laid out in front of him, the future looks sparkling for the dynamic attacking threat.
He could underpin Cooper's philosophy, adding that firepower from the left flank to supply Morgan Gibbs-White and Taiwo Awoyini for another fruitful season.
