At the peak of his career, Mason Mount was the poster boy for the Chelsea Youth Academy, their two-time Player of The Year (back-to-back 2020-2022) and a clear statement that the club was not just about spending truck loads of cash, but, also, promoting bright youth players into the first team squad who merited their place. Be it goals or assists, Mount had it all.
Throw in his work rate and consistency and he was every Coach’s dream player.
Fast-forward to the just concluded 2022-23 season and the England international was having a surprisingly turbulent season marred with poor form and inconsistent performances: A marked drop from his once lofty standards. While his zeal could be seen, it just wasn’t clicking for the midfielder on the pitch. By January, with the loan acquisition of Joao Felix from Athletico Madrid, it became obvious that Chelsea had run out of patience for their reigning Player of The Year.
What was more disturbing was the fact that the player was fast edging towards 1yr left on his contract. Presently on an 80k pounds a week wages, ideally, he would have expected to be placed on a similar contract as the club’s high earner like Lukaku, Sterling, Kante, Koulibaly, Reece James and co. Alas, his loss of form put a spanner in the works and made a huge contract hard to negotiate.
There are those who will argue that, for a player who has given 3 great seasons to the club, including the aforementioned personal achievements, a loss of form in the subsequent season should merely be regarded as a blip on the road. This argument held no sway among the club’s hierarchy as they dragged their feet on the kind of contract to offer the player whose stock had dropped. Do they go with the first argument and brush aside this dip in form, or, go with present day reality and offer him a contract accordingly? That remains a big dilemma.
In came the club’s transfer offer and it was, first, one of 175k per week which was soundly rejected by the player’s camp. The second offer amounted to 200k a week albeit, a 1 yr contract extension only. The player deemed it a slap on his face and why not? Not only was this figure 50k short of James’ new contract, it was also 100k plus short of other top earners who hadn’t achieved half of what he had. The fact that this was only a 1yr extension to his current deal made it even more annoying. It appeared like a probation contract of sorts; the kind you offer to rookie youngsters just coming in. As expected, Mount rejected this offer as well and the stage seemed set for his departure.
By now, many opposition clubs were sniffing around, ready to exploit the situation. Of them all, Manchester United were quickest and made official bids to the club. Soon after, they had agreed personal terms with the player. This did not go down well with Chelsea faithfuls who proceeded to show their disgust at the player for a perceived disloyalty. The club running its own public relations stunt to make itself look good didn’t help matters either, but, try hard as they did, many fans could read between the lines and realise how much blame the club had to bear in this debacle.
History will show that the club has been down this road before: Do the names ‘Rudiger’ and ‘Christenseen’ ring a bell? Oh, yes, they do. Both players had similar contract negotiations that were protracted just like Mount’s. The negotiations then coincided with both players having a dip in form and a bad season in 2020. On the back of that, the club dragged and dragged their foot on offering both players the huge contract their worth deserved. Come the next season, both players were back in form like they always were, but this time, their contracts had just 1yr left each. The club no longer dragged but hastened proceedings in order to tie them to new long term deals but it proved abortive. Both players felt neglected in the time of their needs and by January of 2021, they had agreed pre contract agreements with Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively.
In my review of these similar scenarios, I think contracts should be based on loyalty just as it is on current form, even more so when the players involved have consistently delivered the goods in time past. A mere season of dropped form shouldn’t mar 3yrs or more of excellent performances. Even the Ronaldos and Messis have all experienced a dip in form at one time or the other in their illustrious careers. Their clubs didn’t respond by throwing them out immediately or giving them shitty contracts. They stuck with them and remembered the many good years of service.
It is my submission that Mount should not be sold, but given time under Pochettino to rediscover his best form. It is my belief that last season will prove to be an odd chapter and we will see, once again, the player we all know him for—a Player of The Year calibre.
