As the Premier League title arms race continues ahead of the new season Mason Mount is optimistic.
Not just because Chelsea have landed £34million Kalidou Koulibaly and £47.5million Raheem Sterling. Also because of the quality already at the club, the rising stars coming through and the calibre of the players still being sought by last season’s FA Cup Finalists. New owners Todd Boehly, Hansjorg Wyss, Clearlake Capital and Mark Walter are already delivering on their promises to keep the club competitive.
They will need to with defending champions Manchester City and runners-up Liverpool both adding more firepower, Spurs resurgent under Antonio Conte and both Arsenal and Manchester City strengthening significantly. But the early transfer moves have the seal of approval from the Chelsea dressing room.
“We want to be up there,” said Mount. “We want to be pushing. Obviously to have Raheem joining and Kalidou joining us as well and they are two unbelievable players who have done very, very well over the last couple of years. And we are strengthening as a team. We are going in the right direction. It's an exciting start and we are looking forward to what the future holds.”
Koulibaly remains a colossus and one of the most imposing central defenders in Europe while there is still surprise that City allowed 27-year-old Sterling - entering his prime - to leave the Etihad. “I don’t really think about all that kind of stuff,” Mount added. "We are just adding another world-class, top player to our team.
“He has been brilliant for them for however many years and he has won so much so for us to get him, we are lucky. He is going to do everything he can to be at the top of his level to win stuff with us. And we are a team with a lot of ambition and a lot of will to win. So he brings that too.
“I spoke to him a little bit when we were away on international duty. He didn’t have a clue what was going on. He just said there was interest there and I was obviously saying: ‘We’d love to have you at the club’. I know what he is like as a person and a player. I’ve played with him for the last couple of years with England and he’s a top, top guy with a lot left to go and a lot more winning to do so its brilliant to have him.”
Mount himself assumed the captain’s armband for a spell during Wednesday night’s penalty shoot-out defeat at Charlotte FC. He admits to relishing the responsibility which will be music to the ears of fans hankering in the longer term for another home-grown captain after John Terry.
“I’m naturally not the most vocal,” he went on. “I’ve never really been. When I was captain of the Under-18 FA Youth Cup side I was always someone who tried to lead by example on the pitch. But you have to bring that as well and that’s something I am constantly trying to learn off the likes of [current captain Cesar] Azpilicueta and Jorginho who have been captains of this club.”
