Liverpool is certain to be linked with numerous players this summer. The Reds’ style of play is unlikely to change massively in 2024/25 but there will inevitably be tactical tweaks implemented by the club’s new manager.
After almost nine years under Jürgen Klopp, the side will now be led by Arne Slot. His Feyenoord side played possession-heavy football and were adept at winning the ball high up the field. So far, so Klopp.
There were other similarities too, not least relying upon full-backs to be integral to build up play and to deliver creatively. With rumors circulating that Kostas Tsimikas might leave and Joe Gomez not capable of delivering assists at the rate of Andy Robertson, Liverpool may need a new left-back. Chelsea’s Ian Maatsen, who is on loan at Borussia Dortmund and looks likely to play in the forthcoming Champions League final, could be an option.
He has been linked with the Reds in the past, and it was previously reported that he could be a potential victim of a squad clear-out at Stamford Bridge. According to GiveMeSport, Chelsea will be looking to receive $45m (£35m/€41m) in exchange for Maatsen.
His 10 most similar players on his FBRef scouting report include Joško Gvardiol, Matty Cash and the Tottenham pairing of Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie. Across the last 365 days, Maatsen has been in the top 10 per cent (or better) of full-backs across Europe’s big five leagues for 22 different metrics.
Some are inevitably more intriguing than others. The 22-year-old is in the 95th percentile for long pass completion rate, and he demonstrated this ability in a brief cameo against the Reds in the opening match of this season. Maatsen is almost as highly placed for carrying distance and through balls, showing he can move up field with the ball and knows what to do with it in the final third.
A metric which might intrigue the new Liverpool manager is his average of 58.7 passes completed per 90 minutes, which puts the Chelsea man in the top eight per cent among his positional peers in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain for this stat. Only four Feyenoord players attempted more passes than left-back Quilindschy Hartman this season, illustrating the possessional importance of the role in a Slot side.
Hartman also set up 10 goals in 70 appearances under Slot, a total only seven players topped at Feyenoord — and five of them played more matches. If not quite so vital in ball progression terms, left-back Owen Wijndal laid on nine assists in 55 games for Slot at AZ Alkmaar, the sixth-most during his tenure there and two more than reported Liverpool target Teun Koopmeiners managed from attacking midfield.
Maatsen has yet to prove he can regularly create goals at the elite level, with two assists in the Bundesliga and none in the Premier League. However, he set up six goals in the Championship while on loan with Burnley in 2022/23, the joint-third most in the division by a defender that season.
While he has yet to make his debut for the Netherlands senior side, having been an unused substitute twice, Maatsen has represented his country in youth football. Indeed, he likely knows Ryan Gravenberch well, having played alongside him internationally at under-15, under-16 and under-21 levels. If Liverpool needs a character reference, it knows who to ask.
The Chelsea defender’s statistical CV is inevitably not without flaws. The metrics at which he performs worst include percentage of aerial duels won and percentage of dribblers tackled. While thing may change now Slot is in charge, these are areas in which Liverpool full-backs, especially Trent Alexander-Arnold, were heavily targeted in the Klopp era.
But the Reds spend far more time going forward than defending. Having ball-progressing full-backs looks as important for Liverpool’s new manager as it was for his illustrious predecessor. Maatsen looks up to Slot’s standards on that front.
