Manchester United have got their man, having signed midfielder Mason Mount from Chelsea. After some back-and-forth on various bids, the Red Devils had a package worth £55 million plus add-ons accepted. Personal terms were reportedly already agreed and Mount is all set to become a United player imminently.
It is a transfer of many facets which are reflected in the mixed reactions on both sides. Some Chelsea fans are glad to see him go, while others are heartbroken to lose an academy product who won the Champions League with them. On the red side, some fans are hailing their club for signing a decorated England international, others feel Mount isn’t good enough to slot into a midfield containing Casemiro, Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes.
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The Mount deal is a complicated one, with a number of pros and cons attached. To get the negativity out of the way first, the biggest accusation you could level at the signing is that United didn’t need him. They already boast Fernandes, Eriksen, Casemiro, Fred and Scott McTominay in midfield. Donny van de Beek, the forgotten ghost of Old Trafford, also still roams the hallways.
Compare this with the dearth of options up front. With goal-shy Wout Weghorst’s loan ending and Marcus Rashford better equipped for life on the left wing, Anthony Martial is the only centre forward at the club. If £60 million in spending was being committed, was it not better to pump that money into landing a goalscorer?
The goalkeeping position is also uncertain. David De Gea’s contract expires today (30th June), potentially leaving the club without a number one choice in the role. Dean Henderson looks set to leave permanently after a loan move at Nottingham Forest last season. Currently Tom Heaton is the senior man, but it is hard to envision Erik ten Hag sanctioning the 37-year-old as his first choice. There is talk of a move for Inter Milan shot-stopper Andre Onana, but even if they pull that off, it’s disconcerting that the matter isn’t wrapped up already.
The Mount fee isn’t cheap, despite his pedigree. While an England international and Champions League winner will run you a fair amount, he did only play 24 Premier League games last season. Couple that with the fact he had a year left to run on his deal and his reported £300,000 a wage and it looks like an overly-pricey deal. You could argue that, for all his talents, there are better players in his position available for that price.
But enough of the negativity, what are the plus points of United’s high-profile first signing of the window? For a start, they have wrapped up the deal quickly by their standards. As long-suffering Old Trafford match-goers will tell you, this is far from a given. Whether taking over a year to land Jadon Sancho or wasting an entire summer on a doomed deal for Frenkie de Jong, United have made a habit of initiating transfer sagas. The fact Mount is a United player in time to assimilate during pre-season is a huge plus.
The departing Chelsea man is also a clear improvement over what they have. Mount is a better midfield option than Fred and Scott McTominay, two players long-maligned by fans. When you consider he will also ease the burden on Christian Eriksen, whose influence waned as last season wore on, he seems like a wise purchase. Ideally, with so many options in the middle, one of McTominay or Fred would move on at this point. This is particularly crucial when you realise that Mount’s fee will limit United’s spending in their problem areas up front and in goal. But in pure footballing terms, United have undoubtedly improved their midfield.
Mount is also arguably a better signing than the alternative, which appeared to be a move for Adrien Rabiot of Juventus. While the France international was available on a free, he is also four years older and comes with a troubled reputation. Rabiot’s potential signing was greeted with more enthusiasm than when it was broached last season, due to a stellar Serie A campaign. But given his wild child streak and the fact his mother often inserts herself in her son’s affairs at his clubs, Mount is a relatively trouble-free alternative.
The fact he is well-known to many of his teammates from the national team will help him settle too. The likes of Rashford, Sancho, Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire have a lot of experience playing alongside him. They know what Mount can do and how to get the best out of him.
The proof with a football transfer is always in the pudding. We won’t know how good an idea signing Mount was until he lines up in the famous red shirt. The current mixed reactions will sway one way or the other. But on the surface, United have secured a big name midfielder for a high fee who improves their squad. He isn’t the striker or goalkeeper they so crucially need but he is better than what they have. If Mount can reflect that on the pitch, United fans will look back fondly on the signing.
