Vincent Kompany owes Chelsea for key cog in promotion: View | OneFootball

After just one season away from the Premier League, Burnley managed to win the Championship last season in emphatic style.

Premier League-winning captain and Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany took over at Turf Moor in the summer of 2022, after leaving Belgian side Anderlecht.

He inherited a bit of talent in his squad and added a lot of young quality to it to completely change the perception of Burnley to English football fans. He did this by changing the style of play away from the route one, long balls they used to play under former manager Sean Dyche, into a possession-based style of play.

The Carets would win the Championship by collecting a total of 101 points, being only five points away from Reading’s point record of 106. They would also finish ten points clear of Sheffield United in second, and 21 points clear of Luton Town in third - smashing the division to pieces.

Whilst there are many key players that took the plaudits at Burnley, one player that maybe wasn't appreciated as much was left-back, Ian Maatsen.

Maatsen excelled in his season with Burnley

Maatsen had arrived at Burnley having spent the previous two seasons in the EFL: Charlton Athletic in League One, and then Coventry City in the Championship.

He was highly rated at Chelsea, having made the move to England in 2018 from PSV Eindhoven in his homeland of the Netherlands.

After a stellar season with Coventry in particular, Maatsen looked like a shrewd addition for Kompany and the Clarets, and he showed this on his debut for the club.

His debut came on the opening night of the Championship season, as he scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory away at Huddersfield Town.

Maatsen’s form continued for the first half of the season. He would go on to win the Championship Player of the Month in January 2023, with his brace against Swansea City in a 2-1 win was the highlight, whilst he also kept a clean sheet against his former side Coventry.

His performance would continue for the rest of the season, and after winning promotion, his displays were recognised as he was named in the Championship Team of the season.

Maatsen spoke about the time he spent at Burnley, saying how much he enjoyed his time there and his hope to build on his career in 23/24: “Yeah, I think this season was a really special season, but also a beautiful season. Having Vincent Kompany as manager of an English team was really exciting. When I first went there it was straight away a family feeling.

“We worked hard with each other, we knew each other more and more, on and off the pitch, so it was a really beautiful season with loads of experience and enjoyment for me. I couldn’t really have hoped for more and I hope whatever next season is going to hold for me it can be the same.”

After returning to Chelsea in the summer, Maatsen was under intense transfer interest from the Clarets, who made every effort to re-sign him on a permanent deal.

They were reported to have had a £31.5 million bid accepted for him by Chelsea - only for Maatsen to reject them to stay at Stamford Bridge, with a video also coming out of him celebrating the fact he rejected Burnley.

After starting just one game in the Premier League for the Blues in the first half of this season, Maatsen signed a new contract with the club in January and joined Borussia Dortmund on loan.

Maatsen is excelling in the Bundesliga with Dortmund, whilst also helping them reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League. His speed in particular has shown to be his best attribute and key in the one goal and two assists he has for Dortmund so far.

In hindsight, especially looking at how well he has gone on to do this season, the signing of Maatsen was a brilliant deal by Burnley and one that Kompany will owe Chelsea for, having helped him set an extremely high standard in the Championship.