The Mason Mount transfer saga is nearing its conclusion – which is positive news for all of those involved.
As reported by football.london on Thursday afternoon, Chelsea and Manchester United have reached an agreement, in a package worth around £60million. After weeks of negotiations between the player and the two clubs, Mount now looks set to end his almost 20-year association with Chelsea, with a switch to Manchester on the cards for the England international.
The 24-year-old has less than a year remaining on his contract at Stamford Bridge and after months of speaking to the Blues about possibly extending his stay, a decision has now been made. It is of course a blow for Chelsea to lose a player of Mount's quality but there could be some benefits from selling the midfielder.
One of the positives could be opportunities handed to younger players whose development path may have been blocked while Mount was playing his football at Stamford Bridge. Carney Chukwuemeka, who plays in a similar role to Mount, could be one of those players.
The 19-year-old featured just 15 times for Chelsea – in all competitions – throughout his debut season in west London following his £20million move from Aston Villa. Chukwuemeka was handed just two starts in the Premier League; one against Crystal Palace in January and the other coming at Old Trafford in the defeat to Manchester United in the penultimate game of the 2022/23 season.
football.london was told a few months ago that Chelsea would consider sending Chukwuemeka on loan in Mauricio Pochettino's first season at the club. However, that perhaps wasn't accounting for the possibility of Mount leaving the Blues, so the teenager may be viewed as more of a significant figure now.
READ MORE: Chelsea news and transfers LIVE: All of the latest updates coming out of Stamford Bridge
Pochettino, who officially began his role as Chelsea head coach on Saturday, will take his new players for pre-season training for the first time next week. He is bound to have conversations with everyone at some point about what the upcoming season holds for them, and Chukwuemeka will certainly be one of those in dialogue with the Argentine coach.
We need to see a set position and role for Chukwuemeka. Whether that's as a No.8 in the centre of midfield or perhaps further up the pitch. The teenager can be deployed in both roles and was during his debut season in west London.
"I'm probably most comfortable as a left 8 in a three," Chukwuemeka told Chelsea's in-house media in January. "But further forward I can drift off the line, or stay out wide.
"It gives me that freedom to drive with the ball and receive it in pockets. It is always good to be versatile."
He showed his power when running with the ball in that game against Manchester United towards the end of last season. There were a couple of moments where Chukwuemeka picked up the ball from deep and drove towards the United defence and because of his speed and power, it makes it very difficult to dispossess him of the ball.
Chukwuemeka is an extremely exciting young footballer. A loan may perhaps benefit him more but it very much depends on what Chelsea do in the transfer window – whether or not they buy a direct replacement for Mount.
Gabri Veiga is an option for the club, football.london understands, especially when Mount's departure becomes official. Either way, with so many midfielders either leaving, or left already, there could be more opportunities for Chukwuemeka in a Chelsea shirt next season.
