Chelsea: Europa League should be Mason Mount’s ticket to the first team
By George Perry
Mason Mount is doing everything he can to get Vitesse Arnhem into the Europa League qualifying rounds. His reward should be the Europa League group stage, domestic cups and Premier League debut with Chelsea.
Vitesse Arnhem finished sixth in the Eredivisie this season, ushering them into the playoff for the Netherlands’ final Europa League spot. Over two legs against ADO Den Haag, Chelsea loanee Mason Mount scored four goals and one assist as Vitesse cruised to the finals on 7-3 aggregate. Adding on the final stretch of the Eredivisie season, Mount has six goals and six assists in his last six games.
Vitesse must defeat FC Utrecht in the two-leg final to qualify for the Europa League. Whatever their result, Mason Mount’s ascendant performance and Chelsea’s declining performance should bring Mount into the Europa League as a Blue next season.
Chelsea will carry a larger squad next for the Europa League, as Thursday nights in far-flung places will force Antonio Conte into heavy rotation. Conte will not be able to play his best XI on Thursday and have them still be his best XI on the weekend. Opportunities for youth and fringe players are one of the few upsides of the Europa League.
Mount will take some of the pressure off Chelsea’s regulars by playing as a wide attacking midfielder. Mount’s recent offensive streak show much of the range he brings to the attack. His goals included a free-kick over the wall that bounced in the six-yard box and went just inside the post; a left-footed (!!) half-volley on the break; and a Eden Hazard-esque 20-yard shot after taking two steps across the top of the box. His assist in Vitesse’s first-leg win came from a corner he delivered perfectly to the six-yard box.
Depending on the formation, Mount could take the place of a Willian or Cesc Fabregas. Mount would need a solid defensive partner or two in midfield. Tiemoue Bakayoko and either Danny Drinkwater or Ruben Loftus-Cheek should be able to control midfield from a deeper position.
If not for the Europa League, Mount would likely be better off with one final loan before debuting at Stamford Bridge. Mount made 39 appearances in all competitions this season, including six in the Europa League and 24 Eredivisie starts. His experience and ability have him ready for the Premier League, where he would need at least 25 starts to maintain his development trajectory.
If Chelsea were in the Champions League, he could not count on much more than the domestic cups, which would be a massive step backwards. But with the Europa League, he can garner around 10 starts in that competition in addition to the domestic cups. The European games would also give him a valuable stage to prove himself for the Premier League, first as a substitute and – hopefully – later as a starter. Those 10 Thursday nights could have a multiplier effect on his playing minutes by accelerating him into a Premier League side.
Between the four competitions, then, Mount could accumulate 20-25 appearances in 2018/19. This may be slightly less than he would have on loan at Crystal Palace, Huddersfield or a newly-promoted team. But that is a worthwhile trade-off because of the experience he would have training with the first-team and playing in European competition.
Mason Mount’s presence will somewhat complicate Chelsea’s midfield picture. The club could have an unusual backlog of English midfielders: Mount, Drinkwater, Loftus-Cheek and Ross Barkley. Mount and Barkley are the most redundant, while Drinkwater is the most capable of playing in central midfield (as opposed to an attacking role).
But while 20-25 games should be sufficient for Mount, the other three need and may demand at least 30, mostly starts. As much as Mount’s inclusion would be beneficial for him and the club, it may cause more discord among two recent and dissatisfied transfers, as well as a player who has waited even longer to become a first-team regular. Even though Mount could complement Drinkwater rather than displace him, Drinkwater may not welcome another player anywhere on the midfield depth chart. Barkley, too, could find himself pinched between Willian for Premier League minutes and Mount for Europa League time.
Next: FA Cup final will show who really wants to be at Chelsea
Chelsea were already going to have to confront the Danny Drinkwater and Ruben Loftus-Cheek situations. Both are linked with other London clubs, and both would find playing time much easier to come by at West Ham and Crystal Palace than Chelsea. The club’s plans for Mason Mount may be tied up in plenty of other business this summer.