Todd Boehly’s mass spend at Chelsea looks like it has not only played a big role in the downfall of the club this season, but may also help their rivals ahead of the new campaign.
Chelsea have spent around £500m since Boehly took over the club, which is more than Manchester United have spent over the past six transfer windows.
The quick-fire mammoth injection of cash has swelled Chelsea’s squad to 32 first-team players. Incoming manager Mauricio Pochettino will have to slash that number, probably by his own will but also out of financial necessity.
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Handing out seven and eight-year contracts does not mean you can avoid Financial Fair Play regulations and a number of stars will be leaving Stamford Bridge before seeing out their deals.
It is widely thought that England regular Mason Mount will be one of them and Frank Lampard could not say with any certainty that he wouldn’t be leaving this summer. The 24-year-old is one of seven players approaching the final year of their deals.
All of them are expected to make an exit so Chelsea can try and generate some income from transfers. This comes as good news for Erik ten Hag, who is on the hunt for a young midfielder this summer.
Declan Rice is one player being linked, with West Ham manager David Moyes admitting he is already planning for next season without him. Ten Hag’s office door has been left open to Frenkie de Jong, however unlikely a transfer may seem given Sergio Busquets’ exit from Barcelona.
The same scenario applies to Jude Bellingham, who is destined for Real Madrid by all accounts. All three would command sizeable fees anyway and Ten Hag is still in the dark over what transfer budget he will be given with the conclusion of the takeover process unclear.
United spent £225m last summer and they too have to play by FFP Rules meaning there will likely be more outgoings to fund a handful of arrivals. Mount, then, is made more attractive, with the playmaker set to have a lower price tag given the amount of time left on his contract.
The Chelsea academy product also offers something Rice, Bellingham and De Jong can’t. United are all but in the Champions League - a competition Mount has won, unlike the other three.
Granted, Bellingham is five years younger and Rice is at a club hardly established in Europe despite their efforts to change that in next month’s Europa Conference League final. But Mount’s experience in that regard will be invaluable.
He started nine of the 13 matches of that triumphant 2021 Champions League run, only being benched in a group stage dead rubber against Krasnodar and receiving a yellow card suspension for a last-16 leg against Atletico Madrid.
Afterwards, he started every match, including the final where he provided the assist for Kai Havertz’s winner. Mount has been there and proven it, which will count for a lot in Ten Hag’s eyes.
Rice, De Jong and Bellingham may all go on to do the same in their careers, especially the latter who would be an amazing (but costly) acquisition regardless. However, United know their realistic transfer scope, which has extended in light of their top four quest.
Mount fits within that and the Reds can surely offer him a crack at the big time once again next season
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