The Red Devils have finally agreed a deal to sign the England international – but their money would have been better spent elsewhere.
Mason Mount was supposed to be Mr. Chelsea. Frank Lampard’s protégé joined the Blues’ academy ranks as a six-year-old way back in 2005, and graduated into the first team squad 12 years later with bags of potential and enthusiasm.
After successful loan spells at Vitesse and Derby County, he made his breakthrough at Stamford Bridge in 2019-20 under Lampard, and quickly became a key player. Mount’s versatility made him a useful asset for Chelsea, as he can shift between traditional No.8 and No.10 roles seamlessly and fill in out wide in a front three or as a holding midfielder.
The England international picked up back-to-back Player of the Season awards at Chelsea in 2020-21 and 2021-22 while becoming a Champions League winner, and was also very highly regarded by Lampard’s successor, Thomas Tuchel. “He is very mature and at the same time has this young player’s sparkle in his eyes,” the German coach said after his first few months at the club.
But that sparkle disappeared last season. Tuchel lost his job after a poor start to the campaign and Chelsea suffered an alarming decline under his replacement, Graham Potter, before Lampard was drafted back in as interim manager. Chelsea ended up finishing 12th in the Premier League, with Mount only managing to contribute three goals and two assists to their cause.
The 24-year-old was without question one of the worst performers in an over-inflated squad. And yet, he became Manchester United’s primary transfer target at the start of the summer window. The Red Devils tabled three rejected bids for Mount, before caving and agreeing to a deal worth the £60 million ($76m) the Blues were hoping for, despite the fact his contract is due to expire in 2024.
United could have walked away from the deal entirely if the Blues were not willing to compromise, which may have been for the best. Mount is most certainly not the kind of signing that will excite the Old Trafford faithful and make them optimistic about a potential title charge in 2023-24.
‘I wouldn’t be hanging my hat on Mason Mount’
United’s pursuit of Mount hasn’t only caused confusion among the fans, with club legends also left baffled by Ten Hag’s decision to target the Chelsea midfielder. Roy Keane expressed his concerns when quizzed on the transfer reports in May.
“I wouldn’t be hanging my hat too much on Mason Mount, in terms of improving United and closing the gap,” he told Sky Sports. “I think he’s a good player but would he improve Manchester United? I’m not so sure. He’s just gone missing this last year or two.”
Paul Scholes echoed his former team-mate’s sentiments, telling Premier League Productions: “Look, I like Mason Mount…[But] does he do enough? I thought when he first came onto the scene, ‘Have we got a new Frank Lampard?’ I expected him to score goals, a lot more goals, in big games, to win you games, but he hasn’t really kicked on from there.”
The general consensus on Mount is clear: He’s a good player, but not a great one. He’s not someone who is going to take games by the scruff of the neck or produce individual moments of brilliance to open up defences. In fact, Mount is often guilty of misplacing or overhitting his passes when he finds himself in space deep in the opposition’s half.
It’s no coincidence that Mount started to see his minutes reduced at Chelsea last term amid their £600m splurge on new talent. He only started 20 Premier League games for the Blues and largely failed to make an impact when he was on the pitch.
United need game-changers right now, and Mount simply does not fall into that bracket. It could also be argued that a man who was once regarded as one of Chelsea’s brightest future prospects has already hit his peak.
No guarantee of regular minutes
Anyone that closely followed Ten Hag’s career at Ajax will understand why he has singled out Mount. The Chelsea star could have fit quite nicely into his 4-3-3 setup at the Johan Cruyff ArenA, but he has favoured a different approach during his time at Old Trafford.
Last season, United would typically play in a 4-2-3-1 system, with Casemiro and Christian Eriksen sitting deep, Bruno Fernandes occupying the No.10 spot and Marcus Rashford and Antony deployed on the flanks. Fitting Mount into that line-up could be a difficult task.
A straight swap for Eriksen would be the most logical move, especially given the Dane’s underwhelming performances towards the back end of the 2022-23 campaign. But Mount’s best qualities would be wasted in defensive midfield.
He is at his best when pressing the opposition high up the pitch, as he often wins the ball back before kick-starting dangerous counter-attacks. Mount inspired Chelsea’s 2021 Champions League final win against Manchester City by doing exactly that.
Ten Hag will have to change formation to ensure Mount can operate as an attacker, perhaps by switching to three at the back and pushing Aaron Wan-Bissaka up next to Casemiro. But United don’t really need a player of his ilk.
West Ham’s Declan Rice and Brighton star Moises Caicedo have also been strongly linked with moves to Old Trafford this summer. Both men would have more to offer the Red Devils than Mount, though Rice is obviously now off the market after Arsenal agreed a deal to sign the West Ham star.
Casemiro needs a stronger midfield partner, someone capable of breaking up play and dictating the pace of games from deep. Fred and Scott McTominay are not quite up to the required standard, and Eriksen appears to be past his best.
If United fill that position this summer, they will be a much stronger side. But Mount won’t be a transformative signing. He could even be more of a hindrance than a help, as Ten Hag would need to tinker with a winning formula in order to accommodate him.
English tax trap
Chelsea had held out hope of persuading Mount to extend his contract, and it had been reported that new boss Mauricio Pochettino wanted him to remain at the club. Mount, though, was said to be demanding a salary that would bring him up into Chelsea’s section of top earners, which includes his England team-mate Reece James – who is reportedly pocketing £250,000 ($318,000) per year.
But the fact is, Mount isn’t worth that kind of salary. And he’s certainly not worth the initial £55m Manchester United have committed to pay for him, with a further £5m potentially to come in add-ons.
United have had to pay a premium to push a deal over the line, which is now par for the course when trying to sign young homegrown players. And it’s not the first time that the Red Devils have been stung by the ‘English tax’.
Harry Maguire became the world’s most expensive defender when he moved to Old Trafford from Leicester City in 2019, as United forked out £80m ($100m) to bring him onto their books. Fast-forward four years, and Maguire is on the verge of an exit, having spectacularly failed to live up to that price tag.
United have been mocked relentlessly for their purchase of Maguire, and it’s madness that they have chosen to invest a similar amount in his England colleague. Mount won’t be anything more than a squad player at Old Trafford, which is why £40m should have been a take-it-or-leave-it offer.
Ten Hag has more pressing concerns
Even if United shifted focus away from Mount and on to an alternative, they would still have been wasting valuable time. Strengthening in midfield really shouldn’t have been Ten Hag’s priority.
Rashford was the club’s top goalscorer last season with a highly respectable total of 30 across all competitions, but most of those efforts came when he was playing from the left. Fernandes was next on United’s list with 14 goals, and injury-plagued Anthony Martial came in third on nine.
Burnley loanee Wout Weghorst, meanwhile, only scored three goals in 31 appearances after moving to Old Trafford in January. Ten Hag is in desperate need of a natural No.9, especially while City are blowing away all-comers with Erling Haaland upfront.
The Dutchman is well aware of the problem, as he told Sky Sports in April: “We need a striker who scores goals because we have ability in the team to put balls in the box, so we need a striker to finish. We have to build a new future and we need a striker who not only scores goals but contributes by linking up play very well and pressing, which is very important.”
Tottenham’s Harry Kane was long mooted as United’s top target, but they have been priced out of a potential move. That shouldn’t mean Ten Hag settles for Mount. United have also been credited with an interest in Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, Eintracht Frankfurt star Kolo Randal Muani and Atalanta’s Rasmus Hojlund. The time to swoop is now.
Once the Red Devils have a proper goalscorer in place, it will be a necessity for them to sign a new goalkeeper. Progress was made last season under Ten Hag, with a top-four finish secured alongside the Carabao Cup, but they might have achieved even more were it not for David de Gea.
The Spaniard has been making basic errors for years, and United can’t afford to rely on him as their last line of defence for another season. Sorting out those two positions really could be the difference between success and failure in 2023-24.
Mount definitely shouldn’t have been top of the agenda, not if United are serious about closing the gap on City.
Chelsea’s willingness to sell to a direct rival
Keeping hold of Mount would have been a positive for Chelsea, given his many years of service to the club, and his place among the English contingent in the dressing room. But because he wouldn’t budge in contract negotiations, the Blues had to let him go this summer.
This was their last chance to cash in, and they’re right to try and squeeze as much as they can out of potential suitors. But the fact they are willing to do business with United at all should be a red flag.
In the recent history of the two clubs, only two players have made the switch from Stamford Bridge to Old Trafford – Juan Mata in 2014 and Nemanja Matic in 2017.
Mata was fantastic during his three years at Chelsea as he helped the club win the Champions League, Europa League and FA Cup while chipping in with 32 goals and 58 assists. But Jose Mourinho let him go because he knew full well he’d reached his ceiling.
Mata had his moments at United, but he was nowhere near as consistent or effective. It was a similar story for Matic, who Mourinho signed again ahead of his second season in charge at United – having been sacked by Chelsea in 2015.
The Blues won two Premier League titles with Matic running the midfield, but he didn’t win a single piece of silverware during his five-year stay in Manchester. It’s a golden rule never to sell to your direct rivals – unless they’ve become disposable.
Which is exactly the category that Mount found himself in. He would likely have seen even less playing time under Pochettino next season, with the Argentine expected to start swooping for targets once he officially arrives at the Bridge on July 1.
‘Teacher’s pet’
“Form is one thing people can debate. These players are getting debated more with social media than they did in my career. But from working with Mason – you can ask myself, Thomas Tuchel, Gareth Southgate and Graham Potter – he’s clearly a top player.”
Lampard’s impassioned defence of Mount when quizzed on his poor form for Chelsea in April spoke volumes. The Chelsea legend has always had a strong relationship with Mount, having initially started working with the midfielder during his first foray into management at Derby.
But as Lampard alluded to, all of Mount’s managers have loved working with him. “It is always a pleasure to work with Mason because he is the kind of guy who comes with a smile on his face to every single training session,” Tuchel said before his Chelsea exit last year. “It is always 100 per cent in matches, he accepts every challenge.”
Potter said he found criticism of Mount “strange” in the early stages of his Chelsea reign, and described the playmaker as a “fantastic person”. Building such a rapport with your boss has obvious advantages.
Mount was once deemed undroppable at Chelsea, even when he wasn’t playing well. And at international level, he’s been one of the first names on Southgate’s team-sheet since his debut for England in 2019.
For a long while, Mount even kept Jack Grealish out of the starting XI, leading some fans to label him ‘teacher’s pet’. It’s possible that one of the reasons Ten Hag has set his sights on Mount is because of the glowing endorsements he has received from all of the coaches that have worked with him so far.
But such a dynamic might spell disaster at Old Trafford. There are certain players at United that wouldn’t hesitate to speak their mind if they felt a player was being unfairly favoured, not least their volatile vice-captain Fernandes.
Mount’s best position also happens to be the one occupied by Fernandes, who certainly wouldn’t be happy if he were to be rotated in and out of the team. Such a prospect would also be detrimental to United, given Fernandes has been by far their most influential player over the past three seasons.
The cons far outweigh the pros with this transfer. Mount would be a mediocre signing for the Red Devils, who have already had far too many of them in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
If United bring in Osimhen and Inter goalkeeper Andre Onana, they would really have a shot of fighting for the title and reaching the latter stages of the Champions League. But they’ve now put a fair share of their eggs in Mount’s basket, and the glory days will continue to fade into distant memory if he is a foreshadowing of their summer business.
Source: goal.com
