Is Mason Mount the next academy star from
Chelsea? We profile the talented teenager
Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount
has been setting the Eredivisie alight on loan with Vitesse Arnhem, so could he
be the next academy star to break into the first team? We profile the
19-year-old…
The
west London side sent 38 players out on loan last season to varying degrees of
success, but one name that shines is Mount.
The
teenager has excelled with Dutch side Vitesse as they secured a Europa League
play-off spot and England manager Gareth Southgate mentioned him when listing
the young players who are on his radar during his press conference on Thursday.
Here, we take a look at his short
but successful career so far and if a spot in the Chelsea first team is on the
horizon.
Early years
Mount
was born in January 1999 in Portsmouth and initially signed for the Blues as a
six-year-old. The 2014/15 season saw him make seven appearances for the U18s
before establishing himself as a regular across the youth teams the following
year, making 23 appearances for the U18s - netting six times - and coming off
the bench on five occasions for the U19s.
He
scored in the FA Youth Cup final first-leg tie against Man City as Chelsea went
on to defend their title in the 2015/16 campaign, as well as assisting twice
during a 3-0 UEFA Youth League semi-final win
against Anderlecht as the Blues
won the second successive European title.
Mount moved up the ranks again
last season as he became a regular in Chelsea's development squad, making 27
appearances and scoring four times, as well as captaining the Youth Cup squad
for the U18s as Chelsea won the trophy for the fourth time in a row.
England glory
His
club success saw him called up into the England U19 squad for the European
Championships last summer, having previously played at U16 to U18 level.
He
scored the first goal of the competition for Keith Downing's side in under a
minute as they beat Bulgaria 2-0 in their opening group game, and was vital in
the final as he nabbed the assist for Lukas Nmecha's winning goal that saw
England lift the trophy, adding to the three assists he already provided.

Mount has
16 caps for the England U19s, scoring seven goals
Success with
Vitesse
Rather
than heading back into the Chelsea youth system, Mount was sent on loan to
Eredivisie side Vitesse in July, where he was recently named as the club's
player of the season, although he did not have the best of starts.
After
making his senior debut at the end of August, he had to wait until September 20
for his first start in a KNVB Cup first-round defeat to AVV Swift. He followed
it up 11 days later with his first goal, netting the equaliser during a 1-1
draw against Utrecht after coming off the bench.
Since then, he has only gone from
strength to strength, making 32 Eredivisie appearances and scoring 14 goals,
but it is in the last few months that he has truly excelled. He has scored six
goals in his last six games - including a hat-trick against ADO Den Haag in the
first leg of their play-off semi-final.
But
he has also been helping his team-mates with six assists in his last seven
games too, including one in the ADO Den Haag victory to add to his three
strikes. With his brilliant efforts, he became the first player to be directly
involved in four goals in one match for Vitesse since Wilfried Bony in February
2013.
Mount
has also had experience of the Europa League - where Chelsea will be playing
next season - featuring in all six of Vitesse's group games, and broke a
competition record for the most chances created by a teenager in a game when he
faced Lazio in November.

The
19-year-old has spent the last year on loan in the Eredivisie
"I
have seen very good talents, but Mason is the best. [Bertrand] Traore, for
example, was great, but with him it went step by step in a year and a half.
What this boy does for each other in one season ... it's as if he suddenly
improved 50 per cent. "
First team
breakthrough?
It
is notoriously difficult for youngsters to become Chelsea first-team regulars,
although there is hope for Mount, with academy graduate Andres Christensen
making the breakthrough recently. He spent two years on loan at Borussia Monchengladbach
where he was named player of the year for the 2015/16 season and also competed
in the Europa League - both of which Mount has already done.

Mount in
action for Chelsea's development squad
If
he does move into the senior squad, there will be fierce competition for
places. Eden Hazard, Willian and Pedro are just a few of the offensive
midfielders in the squad already even before incomings.
Could he go
elsewhere?
If
there is no room for Mount in the Chelsea first team, there are a number of
other clubs who are reportedly interested in the 19-year-old. Back in the
Netherlands, Ajax and PSV are said to be tracking his progress while Vitesse
would surely like to keep him on their books. In England, Newcastle, QPR and
Reading are reportedly interested in his services while Sporting Lisbon and
Werder Bremen have also been touted.

Mount
assisted the winning goal as England won the U19 Euros
Like
all young talent, Mount needs minutes in senior football to improve his game,
which he may not get at Chelsea. However, the Blues will be wary of letting
other talented players - the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Mohamed Salah
springing to mind - slip through their fingers.
CHELSEA'S NEXT ACADEMY STAR?
Reviewed by Unknown
on
May 18, 2018
Rating: 5

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