Mason Mount has taught Todd Boehly a valuable lesson, with the American billionaire determined to implement the Los Angeles Dodgers' blueprint at Chelsea. The 24-year-old midfielder faces an increasing uncertain future at Stamford Bridge after entering the final 18 months of his deal.
One of the priorities for the Clearlake Capital consortium, which is led by Boehly, following their takeover last year was to tie Mount down to a new long-term contract, football.london understands. However, it's believed that negotiations have proven difficult thus far, with a stumbling block being the length of deal offered.
The Blues have already managed to agree, six, seven and eight-year deals with various players this season. The unorthodox strategy, which has stemmed from Boehly's blueprint for the LA Dodgers, has helped the club spend big in the transfer market due to amortisation.
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But, while Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk have signed lengthy contract, football.london understands there is hesitancy from Mount to commit to such a deal. The Cobham graduate, who is on around £75,000 a week, is far from one of the top earners despite being a seasoned international for England.
If the two parties cannot reach an agreement over a new deal then Mount will leave for free in the June 2024. In the meantime, he could be available for a cut-price fee — and, a number of top clubs are monitoring his situation.
As the contract saga continues to unfold, Mount demonstrated that Boehly's LA Dodgers blueprint is not entirely ready-made for the football. While it has proven beneficial on many occasions, players at the highest level appear to have far more power than those in Major League Baseball (MLB).
In this case, Mount has a greater control over the direction of his career. He's a dynamic midfielder with over 100 appearances in the English top-flight, somewhat a senior international and a Champions League winner so, naturally, he has a number of clubs ready to take him on for cheap — maybe even free of charge — if Chelsea do not tie him down to a new contract.
While Boehly may not be looking to hold onto players for the entirety of their six, seven and eight-year deals, he's looking to retain their value should they push to leave one day, thus giving the club more control over future negotiations — whether it be contracts or transfers.
But, the downside for club owners is, again, the far greater player power. Mount's saga should teach Boehly that some players want to keep their options open but that shouldn't mean that they're perceived as not committed to the club's project.
Players are well within their right to pursue new challenges in their careers — as is everyone in life. If Mount was to sign an eight-year deal, he'd potentially find himself as a free agent at the age of 32.
The average age of a retired professional footballer is 35 years of age. So, in theory, unless he's Cristiano Ronaldo, Thiago Silva or Lionel Messi, the Chelsea star would only have one, maybe two, more contracts left before retiring.
Mount would also likely be past his peak so chances are that he'd have to join a 'lesser club' to the Blues. While a long-term deal gives the midfielder far more financial security, he would be sacrificing control over his career ambitions.
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