Aston Villa always approach their transfer business in a highly secretive manner and again - this has been the case.
With news suddenly released on Wednesday, it has been confirmed that Ian Maatsen will be on on his way to join the West Midlands club from fellow Premier League side, Chelsea.
According to Fabrizio Romano, there has been a six year deal offered with Chelsea receiving a £37.5m fee should all negotiations run smoothly.
Maatsen spent the second half of the 2023/24 season on loan at German side Borussia Dortmund, reaching the Champions League final where they were beaten by Real Madrid.
The dynamic full-back made his mark as part of Vincent Kompany's Burnley side that eased to the Championship title in the 2022/23 season, clocked a total of 101 points.
The Dutchman was awarded with a place in PFA Awards Championship Team of the Season.
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What can Villa fans expect from Maatsen?
It is well known that the 22 year-old left-back likes to get forward and join the attack, however can perform to a high level whether it be as an overlapping full-back or inverted.
For example, throughout last pre-season Mauricio Pochettino (then Chelsea manager) decided to experiment and start him on either side of the wings, in a more attacking role.
Maatsen impressed, although the youngster looks to have cemented his position as a left-back since his time at Dortmund.
Out of the 23 starts he made for Dortmund last season, he was implemented as a left-back in all appearances made.
In comparison to the left-back options at the disposal of Unai Emery with Lucas Digne and Alex Moreno, Maatsen undoubtedly adds more dynamism and agility when receiving the ball.
Ollie Watkins has 12 headed goals out of his 59 all together in the Premier League and this may well only see a rise, due to the quality of delivery that Maatsen possesses.
Furthermore, his ability to pull off accurate balls into the box and from the byline - something that may well suit Watkins' ability to run in behind the opposition backline.
For a left-back, he does not have a bad goal-scoring record. During his loan spell at Dortmund, he netted three times and four goals during his time at Burnley.
A potential weakness to Maatsen's game would be his lack of height. It was apparent that Pochettino had considered it a problem during his time at Chelsea.
At 5ft 6in, Maatsen was a clear vulnerability for opposition sides to exploit, especially from set pieces.
Another weakness in Maatsen's game is his tendency to lose concentration in defensive scenarios.
Cast your minds back to Real Madrid's second goal in the Champions League final, where the former Dortmund loanee misplaced a fairly straightforward pass which led to a goal.
It would be fair to say that whilst the Dutchman possesses attacking traits of a modern left-back, he can lack concentration.
Out of possession, Maatsen has shown to lack consistent positional awareness when faced 1v1 - albeit weaknesses that will likely be coached out of his game with experience and efficient coaching.
Overall, Villa fans can expect a sharp and electric left-back. One that has the potential to become one of the best left-backs in world for the next decade.
An exciting prospect to say the least. One that will only get better and better.
