Chelsea are not able to recall Ian Maatsen from his loan spell at Coventry City this month due to the number of appearances he has made for the Championship side.

The left wing-back joined the Sky Blues from the European champions in the summer on a season-long loan. Like most of these deals, a recall option was included in the New Year, however it could only be triggered if Maatsen wasn't playing regularly.

That's according to the Sky Sports Transfer Centre (15:06), which stated that because the 19-year-old has played 21 of Coventry's 23 games, the agreement means Chelsea can't trigger the recall clause.

Thomas Tuchel's men had looked into the possibility of bringing Maatsen back after a serious knee injury to Ben Chilwell left Marcos Alonso as the only natural senior option in that role.

Of course, this doesn't mean Maatsen can't return to Chelsea this month, but Chelsea would have to reach an agreement with Coventry, which seems unlikely given the importance of the player to Mark Robins' team.

The Dutch youth international will expect to be in the XI against Peterborough United this weekend.

The verdict

This will be a relief for Coventry as it appears that if Chelsea could've recalled Maatsen then it's something they would've done, which is understandable given their injury situation.

It remains to be seen whether they will continue to push for the player to return, although they will recognise that this loan spell has worked out very well for the player.

So, it makes sense that he stays and Maatsen will hope to continue his strong form in the second half of the season as Coventry look to get back to winning ways and push for a top six finish.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.