Will Mount conclude the Vitesse curse?
Recent transfer windows have illustrated that Chelsea no longer has sufficient financial power to compete with clubs in the upper echelons of European football. The power of the State money has proven to be insurmountable, as has been testified by Manchester City and PSG’s rise to prominence.
Consequently, the club has begun to implement a strategic plan to negate the gulf in money that currently exists between the Premier League champions, and the likes of Barcelona, PSG and so forth.
One of the most apparent decisions has been the palpable emphasis placed on the commerciality of the club. Chris Townsend has effectively been appointed to emulate the unparalleled commercial success of Manchester United, the most valuable organization in European football.
Townsend – who was recently appointed as the club’s commercial director – has outlined his aim to double the club’s revenue within the space of the next decade. Naturally, the benefits of this strategy will not be seen immediately. Thus, it is conceivable to suggest that Chelsea’s return as a dominant financial powerhouse will take time.
Currently, we’ve begun to witness a tangible shift in club policy. Effectively, the Blues operate a one-in, one-out system, e.g. Morata was a direct replacement for Costa, Matic departed, and Bakayoko was bought. The only deviation from this strategy can be seen when targeting players at reduced fees, which was best evidenced in our previous transfer window.
Collectively, the signings of Olivier Giroud, Emerson Palmieri and Ross Barkley have been cheaper than the fee that Manchester City paid to sign Aymeric Laporte from Athletic Bilbao. There certainly are no indications that a change in policy will be implemented in the foreseeable future. Subsequently, the club must begin to exploit and utilise its most valuable asset, the youth.
If Chelsea’s intentions to become self-sustainable – or even profitable –are sincere, then the club must be prepared to commit to continued youth development. The issue of the team’s ‘loan army’ has been a hugely contentious issue and one that has been discussed at length by supporters and journalists alike. While the majority of players have been sold in pursuit of profit, there have been a few anomalies that have successfully established themselves as first-team players, most notably Courtois and Christensen.
Personally, I’m confident in our loan policy. Despite the cynicism surrounding this point, it is an effective tool to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations – although that has been subject to considerable criticism itself. The area of our policy that requires further refinement is our relationship with Vitesse; aside from profitability, and perhaps greater awareness in the Netherlands, what purpose does it serve our club?
Countless players have been sent on loan to Vitesse, yet none have successfully returned and established themselves as recognised first-team players. Bertrand Traore came very close to concluding that hoodoo yet failed as he was ultimately sold to Lyon. There were hopes that Lewis Baker, who enjoyed an incredibly fruitful time with the Dutch club, could attain first-team status. Nonetheless, his career has seemingly regressed while on loan at Boro.
Undoubtedly, the Vitesse relationship is productive in a financial sense. It allows players to retain market value, which then enables the club to achieve a profit, yet not a single player who has represented the Eredivisie team have managed to forge a successful career at Chelsea. Will Mason Mount be the first to end the wait?
In an interview with Dutch publication, NOS, cited by Sports Illustrated, the 19-year-old expressed his intention to emulate the success that club legend, John Terry, achieved with the club.
“My goal was and is to make the first team [at Chelsea]. My dad told me: ‘Son, you realise [John] Terry’s the only youth player who made the first team in the last 20 years?’ So I told him: ‘Then I’ll be the next’.”
The Portsmouth-born midfielder has made an encouraging impact on loan. In 16 league games, Mount has contributed towards seven league goals, scoring six and providing one assist. These figures are significant when considering that this is his first season of professional football.
As a testament to his endeavours in Holland, Mount was named as the Eredivisie talent of the month for January, and he was included in their team of the month. Seemingly, the Englishman is progressing from strength to strength, and one individual who has been observing his development keenly is Vitesse fan, Lars.
Lars highlighted Mount’s creativity and his capacity to create purposeful goal-scoring opportunities.
“Mason had a bit of a slow start as he joined us late in the pre-season, but during training, he showed that he was ready for the first team. He is a typical creative number 10 that is very lively, he can play proficient through balls and can score himself too.”
He also commented on Mount’s capabilities from set-pieces and drew similarities to former Vitesse loanee, Lewis Baker.
“He is already taking the corners and free-kicks at Vitesse, which says a lot about a just 19-year-old player. Lewis Baker used to do that too, but Mount is more present during matches and is always trying to start a new attack instead of passing back.”
In conclusion, Lars stated that he believes Mount is of sufficient quality to establish himself at Chelsea, yet he stressed that the same expectation was bestowed on previous players.
“I think Mason is one of the few exceptional players that we got that could make Chelsea’s first team. But I’m uncertain if he will establish himself at Chelsea. I thought the same with Kalas and Traore who were very talented, but Chelsea should watch out for the same scenario. At Mason’s age, you should be playing every week to develop well. I think another year here would do him good.”
Evidently, Mount is reaping the benefits of his loan spell in Holland, yet as Lars justifiably highlighted, we’ve seen a similar situation in the past – a development that ultimately led to a failure to break through at Chelsea.
Lewis Baker was instrumental for Vitesse last season, scoring a praiseworthy total of 15 goals in 39 appearances as the club lifted its first major honour, the KNVB Cup. Upon his return to Chelsea, he was loaned out to Boro where he’s scarcely made an impression. Having made such an invaluable contribution in Holland, Baker’s chances of becoming part of Chelsea’s first team squad have radically diminished. Will Mount’s spell at Vitesse lead to the same conclusion?
The importance of Chelsea’s youth players cannot be stressed enough, and to ensure purposeful and constructive development, the club must outline its intentions. Antonio Conte’s has repeatedly urged the club to deliver the players he asks them to sign. We’re all aware, that these requests have not been realised, and thus the relationship between Conte and the board has become toxic.
The board must establish an unequivocal strategy in the transfer market whether that is maintaining the trend to target players at reduced fees or prioritise existing youth players over potential incomings. Once that transparency and coherence are achieved, then we can build a sustainable and practical long-term solution. Otherwise, we are left facing the repercussions of our current mistakes, where we’re unable to discern a sustainable long-term strategy that will ensure we remain competitive in Europe’s premier competition.
In the meantime, as the club continues to deliberate over our future direction, we’ve begun to see more significant involvement regarding our younger players, especially with Ethan Ampadu and Callum Hudson-Odoi. The question remains, whether Mason Mount will be able to replicate their early success, or will he follow the same path that many others have undertaken?
What are your thoughts? Let us know!
@carbislli
