Discover how Manchester United convinced Mason Mount to move to Old Trafford

Discover how Manchester United convinced Mason Mount to move to Old Trafford

Chelsea were initially reluctant to sell to a direct rival, but the midfielder was sold after meetings with manager Erik ten Hag

Manchester United felt Mason Mount was a Manchester United player from the first moment he came into contact with the Chelsea midfielder. There was a similar feeling when club representatives met Raphael Varane in 2021 and Casemiro last year.
“Great guy, great attitude and ability,” a United source told The National. “He was desperate to join us and is desperate to win.” United were impressed, especially as Mount knew both Liverpool and Arsenal wanted to sign him too.

Jurgen Klopp had been a longtime admirer of Mount and made it clear that he would be interested in signing him. And Klopp had seen enough to recognize his energy: Mount played 120 minutes against Liverpool in the 2022 FA Cup and League Cup finals.
Klopp was not alone. Apart from being a fan, Mikel Arteta thought Mount would sign for Arsenal and stay in London.

So why did the player, who grew up in Portsmouth, southern England, sign for United?

United manager Erik ten Hag was an important factor. The Dutchman spoke at length with the 24-year-old England international about how he could support his development as a player. He talked about the different positions he could play – and at the top level too. They had common ground. Both had worked in the Netherlands where Mount was on loan for Vitesse in Arnhem, near Enschede, where Ten Hag grew up and acted as manager. Both had triumphed at Real Madrid, Ten Hag as manager in 2019 and Mount as a player in 2022 when he put Chelsea ahead and provided an assist in a 3-2 away win. Ten Hag pushed for Mount, seeing him as a younger player than most of his midfielders, which would give him several tactical options as Mount can play in seven different roles, despite being best in the middle. Ten Hag liked his energy and work ethic; Does that mean he’ll play a deeper midfield role alongside Casemiro? Ten Hag was also impressed with the number of games he played for Chelsea: 53, 54 and 53 before plummeting to 35 last season. He had also scored eight, nine and thirteen goals in the seasons he was a mainstay at Chelsea.

England international with 35 caps, Mount had other admirers at United including Darren Fletcher, but Ten Hag was his biggest fan and given the chaos at Chelsea United felt there was a better chance of bringing him on than trying Frenkie de Jong to sign Barcelona for a year. There is. United also knew it would be difficult to get Mount off Stamford Bridge. They had encountered the same problem when they showed interest in Christian Pulisic a year ago. United were keen to sign the US international and the player were open to a move to Old Trafford, but Chelsea were reluctant to sell to a direct rival. Chelsea, under new owners, have started to amass players, many of whom were unhappy with their lack of playing time, but with Financial Fair Play rules a factor after the London club’s huge outlay of over £600m in two previous transfer windows meant it would be a little easier to attract Mount this time around.

But dealing with Chelsea has always been the problem. The Blues knew Mount was popular with fans and staff, a homegrown hero who had won the Champions League at the age of 21. He played 80 minutes of that 2021 final against Manchester City. He also started the match as Chelsea were crowned world champions against Palmeiras six months later in Abu Dhabi.

After protracted negotiations, the 24-year-old passed a medical and signed for a fee of £55m, with a potential £5m in add-ons heavily dependent on United’s success. United are expected to win several trophies over the next few seasons with Mount playing the most games. Chelsea wanted £70m but United knowing Mount’s contract was only a year away and he wanted a move to Old Trafford, United were adamant not to top the £55m transfer fee sterling. Eventually, a deal was reached and Mount signed a five-year contract. He also gets a big pay raise.

Many at Chelsea, from staff to fans, are deeply disappointed that Mount has left the club. An academy graduate who was twice the club’s player of the season, has played in more Premier League games than anyone else at Chelsea since his debut and also created more chances and assists. It has now been sold to a direct rival.

Mount originally wanted to stay at Chelsea but he was one of the lowest paid members of the first team and felt he deserved a bigger contract. His agent has called for parity with some of Chelsea’s other established players. When Chelsea didn’t attend, Mount and his agent began considering other suitors. They should be happy with the outcome, as United hope to reap the rewards of what they believe is Chelsea’s misjudgment of Mount’s worth.

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