The 2023 summer transfer window was a busy time for Chelsea Football Club. Since Todd Boehly bought the club for a fee of £4.25bn, they have had plenty of incomings and outgoings, and last summer was no different.
The Blues spent around £400m last summer on some major incomings, including a British transfer record fee of £115m on Moises Caicedo of Brighton, the £40m signing of Cole Palmer from Manchester City, and Romeo Lavia for £58m from Southampton.
Their outgoings also saw some major movement, with Chelsea making around £230m from player sales and loan fees. Some of the most notable outgoings from Stamford Bridge included Kai Havertz joining London Rivals Arsenal for a fee of £65m, and Mateo Kovacic joining Manchester City for £25m.
However, there was one particular outgoing which sent shockwaves through Stamford Bridge, as a Chelsea academy product decided against signing a new contract, in favour of making the move to one of Chelsea’s biggest Premier League rivals.
Mason Mount's transfer value after leaving Chelsea
The transfer in question here is one of the jewels of Chelsea’s famous Cobham academy in recent years; Mason Mount.
The 25-year-old midfielder left Chelsea to join Manchester United for a fee of £60m, a decision which proved to be the correct one for Chelsea.
Last season, Mount had just one year left on his deal at Stamford Bridge and did not seem like he would be signing a new one. Thus, Chelsea decided to move him on, with United snapping up the England international.
Since the move to Old Trafford, Mount’s transfer value has plummeted. Now, the midfielder is valued at just £17m, according to CIES Football Observatory, with nine United players more highly valued.
It certainly seems as though Chelsea’s decision to offload Mount last summer was the right one, with the Portsmouth-born midfielder struggling to make an impact thanks to two injury issues he has suffered, and a lack of game time under manager Erik ten Hag.
Thanks to injuries, Mount has only managed 17 appearances for the Red Devils so far. It seems the correct decision from Chelsea, all things considered.
Mason Mount’s season so far with Manchester United
With the business end of the season fast approaching, United’s marquee summer signing from 2023 will be hoping he can stay injury-free and get more minutes. The Red Devils are still pushing for a European spot in the Premier League and are in the FA Cup semi-final, where they face Coventry on Sunday.
Sadly for Mount, the move has not necessarily worked out how he or anyone else envisaged last summer, because his whole campaign has been derailed by injury. His 17 appearances for United have yielded just one goal and one assist so far for the 25-year-old.
Out of Mount’s 17 United appearances so far, the England international has played just 673 minutes in total, which equates to seven full 90s. Frustratingly, he has missed 27 games through injury, with the main issue being a calf injury he picked up in November, which kept him out until March.
The big question during Mount’s time at Old Trafford so far that has not been answered is how he fits into the side. He has mainly operated in the centre of midfield under Ten Hag, a direct replacement for Christian Eriksen, who has fallen out of favour. However, Mount has also played on the left wing and in attacking midfield at times too.
Where Mount’s biggest strengths in possession lie is with his superb passing and vision. He is one of the most progressive players in United’s squad, though, crucially, looks after the ball very well, which United have struggled with in 2023/24.
Last season in the Premier League, Mount averaged 6.25 progressive passes per 90 minutes, which placed him in the top 7% of midfielders in Europe, and 2.32 passes into the penalty area per 90 minutes, ranking him in the top 3% of midfielders on the content, according to Fbref. There is no denying Mount’s obvious progressive quality, and what that adds to United's midfield.
Off the ball, he is an energetic presser, who works hard to win the ball back for his side. This is reflected in his 0.53 final third tackles per 90 minutes last season, which ranks him in the top 4%.
He is able to cover lots of ground across 90 minutes, which United have missed this term. The likes of Eriksen and Casemiro are struggling to be able to cover ground like they used to, so the relentless engine mount brings in midfield could be pivotal for United.
With that being said, perhaps his best role is in a pivot next to United’s new superstar Kobbie Mainoo. Mainoo is a wonderful ball carrier, and he would complement Mount very well, being able to receive off the centre-backs before finding Mount, who can launch attacks forward.
However, the lack of a defensive-minded destroyer in midfield may prove to cost United, and having a profile like that of Casemiro could be crucial for beating the top sides in the Premier League, considering the physical nature they have in midfield.
Alternatively, we could see Mount take up a more advanced position. Mount is impressive in the final third, in particular putting up good numbers in 2021/22 for Chelsea. He managed 11 goals and ten assists in 32 Premier League games, playing mainly as a number 10.
The issue is if he played as a 10 for United, they would likely have to drop club captain, and talisman Bruno Fernandes. He is a crucial player for the Red Devils, and it does not seem likely this is something they would look to do.
Additionally, the 5 foot 11 summer signing could slot into the team out wide, and his first United goal came from the left wing. However, they have other options there too, namely Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford, so it is not clear if Mount would get regular minutes there.
Alas, this is not Chelsea’s problem. They sold Mount for £60m before seeing his value plummet to just £17m after he was shackled by injuries all season.
All things considered, it is surely a deal which most Chelsea fans will look upon favourably, especially considering Mount would have left for free this summer. It is perhaps the best bit of business completed in the entire duration of Boehly’s reign over the club.
Chelsea must rue selling star whose value has risen by 900% after leaving
He left Stamford Bridge back in 2017.
ByEthan LambApr 17, 2024