"Good for the club. It's good for him" - Mauricio Pochettino weighs in on 21-year-old Chelsea star's loan move to European giants

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has weighed in on Ian Maatsen's loan move to Borussia Dortmund, saying it's "good for him."

The Bundesliga giants have agreed a deal to sign Maatsen from the Blues until the end of the season as the youngster seeks more gametime.

A left-back by trade, the 21-year-old made his Premier League debut for Chelsea last August and has made 12 appearances for the side so far.

As Der BVB aim to bolster their left side of defense, the club's sporting director Sebastian Kehl said that Maatsen "fits" their profile "with his strengths."

Now, Pochettino, his coach at Chelsea, has also weighed in on the transfer. The Argentine was asked about the move at a recent press conference, to which he responded saying (via football.london):

"It's good for the club. It's good for him. For both sides, it is a good decision."

Maatsen's last appearance for Chelsea came on 27 December 2023, starting in their top-flight clash against Crystal Palace and playing for 58 minutes.

His signing for Dortmund comes just days after the German side confirmed signing their former player Jadon Sancho on loan from Manchester United.

It's been a rough campaign for Die Borussen, who languish in fifth place of the Bundesliga table with 27 points from 16 games, while being winless in their last four.

Edin Terzic's side aim to revive their fledgling campaign in the second half of their season with these signings. Meanwhile, Chelsea are at home to Fulham in the league on Saturday.

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Chelsea looking to bounce back from shock midweek defeat

Chelsea welcome local rivals Fulham to the Stamford Bridge tomorrow, aiming to put their midweek loss against Middlesbrough behind them.

The Blues sank to a 1-0 defeat away to the North Yorkshire outfit on Wednesday in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final. Hayden Hackney scored the only goal of the game in the 37th minute.

It ended their run of three consecutive wins in all competitions, leaving them needing to pull off a comeback in the second leg next week. But first, there's a Fulham clash to negotiate with, as Chelsea are looking to revive their top-flight campaign too.

The London outfit are in 10th place in the league table with only 28 points after accruing just eight wins from 20 games. At this rate, the side will miss out on European places for the second year running, an unthinkable prospect for a club of Chelsea's ilk.