Mason Mount has enjoyed a number of incredible highs during his three seasons in the Chelsea first team. Yet the final weeks of the 2021/22 campaign delivered one of his most painful lows: a crucial penalty miss in the FA Cup final shootout defeat to Liverpool at Wembley.
"It is not a nice feeling, especially not in the final. I can tell you that," says the Chelsea academy graduate, who cuts a relaxed figure at the Blues' team hotel in Los Angeles. "You can always practice penalties on the training pitch but as soon as you get close to it you can’t match that feeling.
"I obviously put it to the left and the keeper went the right way. We know what happened. Obviously, as soon as that happens you are gutted. You are in a final and you want to win things and it didn’t go our way.
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"It’s then like you look back at it and think, what happened? What could go better? The process of walking to the ball, was it right? All the little things you can maybe do a bit better. You definitely get better and learn from those experiences. Hopefully next time I am in that position and I can put it away."
He continues: "We are in a group and we all go through things together, whether we win or lose. We stay together. Hopefully one day I will lift that FA Cup and it will be a very sweet moment."
Such is Mount's strength of character, he confirms he would take another shootout penalty if asked. There wasn't even a moment's hesitation. That is unsurprising as the 23-year-old has shown throughout his time at Chelsea – even during his years in the academy – that he has unbreakable self-belief.
That combined with his natural talent has enabled Mount to become a standout performer at Stamford Bridge. He is a two-time Player of the Year, a Champions League winner, and an England international. But rather damningly on the part of the previous regime at Chelsea, Mount has been allowed to enter the final two years of his contract.
It's a situation that gives the midfielder leverage – and there will be elite-level clubs in England ready to take him away from Chelsea should the opportunity arise. So while new co-owner and interim sporting director Todd Boehly's focus is on signings, there will have to be a shift in focus soon to protect the club's own assets.
“After the last game of the season we had a little get-together at the hotel and he was there with the rest of the consortium, it was good to meet them in person and speak to them all," says Mount. "It’s so exciting what the future holds. It’s an unknown but the way it’s started is really exciting to see what’s going to happen.
“We’re a team that over the last ten years has been up there and pushing and that is where we want to stay. Speaking to them about their goals and aims, we’re on the same page. So hopefully that continues. I’ve got two years left on my contract and I’m very, very happy here. Those talks will hopefully be starting soon.”
Like the other members of the Chelsea first-team squad that were away on international duty last month, Mount only began his pre-season work on Saturday. However, the academy graduate already appears in peak condition and it's noticeable that he has filled out in recent months. The slight 20-year-old Blues supporters became enamoured with in 2019/20 is no more.
"I am naturally going to start getting bigger as I get older," Mount says with a smile. "And it's something I am working on. I am not massive, I am still small, but I am working on my core strength so I can put myself about. That’s my game."
After Chelsea's season wrapped with a home win over Watford, Mount went away on international duty with England. It wasn't an enjoyable experience as the Three Lions produced three lacklustre performances in the Nations League which ended with a shock 4-0 Hungary.
"When it was getting to the end of the season, it did feel like a lot of games," Mount says. "You’re feeling fatigued, you’re feeling tired. Obviously, the England games were very difficult to deal with at the end because we’re a group that haven’t gone through that little phase we had in a long time, we are used to winning a lot of games.
"But when you go through adversity you learn and you get better. That’s something we will look at during the September camp, we can only look forward to. But yes it was good to only look forward, to relax and not think about football for a few weeks, which is obviously difficult for me because I can’t get away from it at times. I am always training. I just want to train straight away."
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