What next for Mason Mount?
He’s been at Chelsea since the mere age of 6 and has recently started to make himself a household name amongst many Chelsea supporters. But the now 19-year old Mason Mount has become a favourite for another set of fans, those of Vitesse Arnhem in Holland.
Having spent last season on loan in the Eredivisie, making 29 appearances scoring nine goals along the way, Mount has very much announced himself to the footballing world as a significant talent to watch. He has also recently joined Gareth Southgate’s senior England squad to gain some experience at training sessions and has already featured heavily for the under 19s.
But what next for the talented Portsmouth born midfielder? There is much talk that he has a chance of being involved in the senior squad next season, with Chelsea playing in the Europa League being an excellent opportunity to blood youth. However, this will depend on who is in charge at Stamford Bridge next season and what they will want.
He will however return and join Chelsea for pre-season next month and will be eager to mark any game time with proof of his own ability. He believes in himself and is very direct on the ball. But there are many who believe that realistically he is not ready for Chelsea just yet and would benefit from another loan move.
Having watched Mount closely since a very young age myself, I have mixed feelings about what is best for him this season. My heart says to get him in the squad and reward him with game time in the Cup and European competitions and watch him thrive. But my mind tells me it would be wise for him to have another loan move, but it would have to be the right one.
I spoke to someone who is in a perfect position to give their opinion on Mount, having watched him closely all season at Vitesse. A man who dedicates his account to the Chelsea and Vitesse link, I wanted to get the views of Lars (@VitesseChels), in order to get the inside picture.
Lars “I don’t think he is ready for Chelsea yet. During the first two months, he was not a starter here but showed he has lots of potential. Though, I think a second season at Vitesse will even help him more. Right now, he is a big talent, but the second year is always way more difficult for players with things like pressure. I think Mason needs to become the big man at Vitesse first before taking the next step. Yes, he was important already, but not impressive against teams like AZ/PSV/Ajax/Feyenoord”.
He continues “You never know it with youngsters. They should play a lot at a young age, especially Mason who is only 19, so a second season here might not be so bad for him. I do think he has more potential than most of his fellow loan-army members that played for us.”
Mount is a creative player who has that rare natural ability on the ball; I asked Lars about his style of play and his strengths and weaknesses…
“I think he is a typical creative number 10, a bit in Kevin De Bruyne style, but can also play as a winger. His best attributes are that he is always playing forward and scores easily, but he should become more influential during games (as in not goals, but 20 touches per game is not enough). Also physically he should improve in my opinion”
So are Vitesse one of those clubs seeking to bring Mount on loan this summer?
Lars says, “Vitesse are still hoping to sign him on loan for another season. He will first play a World Cup with England U19 (I believe it was a WC, not sure..) and then return to Chelsea. They are in contact with it, but of course, other teams are interested too”.
I understand that a handful of Championship teams, a couple of Premier League teams and some Bundesliga teams have all enquired about Mount for next season.
So with the active links to Maurizio Sarri replacing Antonio Conte this summer, could Mount be a Sarri-type player? I indeed believe that his style of play would suit Sarri, his attacking mentality, his running and his ability to create and score goals would be something that Sarri would be impressed by. But as Lars says, we need to see Mount come out of his skin a little bit more, really get on the ball and become as expressive as we know he can be.
What are your thoughts? Let us know!
