Mason Mount was labelled the Chelsea academy boy who had a dream, yet his exit from Stamford Bridge is a nightmare that the club must ensure does not happen again.
The 24-year-old’s £60million move to Manchester United should prompt reflection from within Chelsea, as Levi Colwill continues talks to extend a contract that expires in two years.
Chelsea have an option to extend that deal by a further year depending on appearances but Colwill has been subject to bids of up to £40m from Brighton, while Liverpool and Manchester City are also showing interest in the 20-year-old defender.
Chelsea insist one of England’s finest young defenders is not for sale.
Colwill has shown his potential during successful loan spells at Huddersfield and Brighton, and is excelling for England at the European Under-21 Championship.
He is pushing to break into the senior England squad, and maybe even the starting XI, ahead of Euro 2024 next summer.
Colwill appears ready to shine for Chelsea and Mauricio Pochettino will be key to securing his future.
The centre-back will speak to the new Chelsea head coach before deciding whether he renews his contract.
Like Mount, Colwill identifies with Chelsea. He has been at the club since his was eight and took the No26 shirt at Huddersfield to emulate his idol John Terry. Yet, he is ambitious and will not let his academy connection cloud his judgement in negotiations over his future.
Similarly, 18-year-old Lewis Hall remains on a low-level academy contract.
He is due parity with some of his senior peers after facing Manchester City, Manchester United and Newcastle in back-to-back matches at the end of last season.
The scenes of Mount’s exit have been painful to witness. The midfielder was visibly heartbroken leaving Stamford Bridge arm-in-arm with long-term club masseur Billy McCulloch after the final game of the season against Newcastle in May.
His face told the story of a player who hoped he would be a one-club man.
Chelsea should never again get to a stage where a loyal player enters the final year of his deal.
But disagreement over financial terms, image rights, vision and ultimately his worth led to a breakdown in relationship between Mount and Chelsea’s new owners.
Chelsea were right to accept Manchester United’s offer for Mount, but they should never again get to a stage where a loyal player is allowed to enter the final year of his deal.
Mount is sure to justify his worth at Old Trafford and, if his career so far is anything to go by, he will likely prove his doubters wrong.
For Chelsea, they must now overcome the pain of losing one homegrown star to a rival and make sure there is no repeat.
