NBC Soccer’s Matt Reed can confirm reports by Get French Football News and French independent journalist Mohamed Toubache-Ter that Matt Miazga is headed to French club Caen to complete a loan move for the coming season. He will arrive in Caen tomorrow for his medical and the completion of his move if all goes well.
The US international has been a Chelsea player since moving from New York Red Bulls in the summer of 2016, but is still not considered an option for the first team. He has spent last two seasons on loan at Vitesse Arnhem in the Dutch Eredivisie, a club with a longstanding relationship with Chelsea. Miazga struggled to adjust in his first year at Vitesse, but last year made 32 league appearances and scored three goals while leading the club to a sixth place finish in the league table, with the fifth-best defensive record in the league.
According to the initial reports from France, Caen is looking to replace 30-year-old French defender Damien Da Silva, who moved to Belgian club Stade Rennais this summer after four years with Caen. Da Silva made 32 Ligue 1 appearances last season, suggesting that Miazga could play a significant role in the Caen squad should he be a direct replacement for Da Silva.
Caen finished 16th in the Ligue 1 table last season, narrowly avoiding relegation by a single point. They had a fairly solid defensive record for a lower-table side, but had an absolutely miserable time scoring goals, recording just 27 of them across 38 league games, by far the lowest in the league.
The 23-year-old Miazga has seven international caps for the United States and has long been considered a bright center-back prospect with a future as an important piece in the team, but to this point has been unable to secure a more cohesive role with a club since moving to Europe.
While Miazga is no longer considered a youngster, upgrading to a Big 5 league for the coming season can be seen as a positive development in his professional progression.