Chelsea is not a villain in Mason Mount’s contract situation

The general point many fans use in Mount’s favour is that he has been outperforming the other forwards in the side over the past three seasons, and should earn more than them. Some others mention that Mount’s fitness and availability has been impeccable, as opposed to that of Reece James, who has had to miss many games due to injuries, since the start of the 2019/20 when both players made their Chelsea debuts.

Both talking points have some merit, but not that much. Contracts are determined by the leverage either party has, and the major decider of who comes out on top would be who has more leverage. The point that Mount is outperforming other forwards in the squad does not make the case for Mount to earn as much as James, it makes the case that Mount should be earning more than the forwards he’s been outperforming over the past two seasons.

Football Insider has stated that Mount has been offered £180,000/week, which would be more wages than Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, Kai Havertz, and even Callum Hudson-Odoi. That means he’d be earning a higher than every forward that was at the club, that’s still at the club, since the 2020/21 season began.

It is also rumoured that the £180,000/week being offered to Mount is a base salary, and is subject to increase should he hit certain milestones. The club also thinks it’s fair for Mount to outearn the above-mentioned players at base level.