In Focus: Mount making himself Chelsea's main man

After a disappointing World Cup campaign, Mason Mount has bounced back to form and is staking his claim as Chelsea’s main man. 

The midfielder scored an excellent goal during Chelsea's 2-0 win over Bournemouth — an important moment for him and his club. 

Contract talks with the Stamford Bridge hierarchy appear to be stalling and putting up impressive performances at a pivotal point of the season will only strengthen the Englishman's hand in negotiations. 

With that in mind, we turn the spotlight on the midfielder ahead of Chelsea's trip to Nottingham Forest.

A tough trip to Qatar

Mount started England's 6-2 win over Iran in the opening game of the World Cup, as well as their second clash of the group phase — a goalless draw with the United States. 

But that was his last prominent outing in Qatar. Phil Foden came in for him as England beat Wales 3-0 and retained his place for both the 3-0 victory over Senegal and the 2-1 elimination at the hands of France. 

Mount failed to contribute a goal or an assist in the 186 minutes he played in the Middle East. 

The 23-year-old also only managed to create one chance for his team-mates, marking a dispiriting return for a player of his calibre. 

He has returned to England with a point to prove.

Transition period

Chelsea could certainly use a man with added motivation to perform.

A change of ownership in West London led to a new man in the dugout, with Blues chiefs dismissing Thomas Tuchel and replacing him with Graham Potter in September. 

Since then, Chelsea have struggled to find their feet. They are currently amongst a cabal of clubs chasing a Champions League place.

Arsenal and Manchester City seem to be out on their own but Newcastle, Tottenham, Manchester United, Liverpool and even Brighton are all in the battle for third and fourth.

Paying his dues

Mount has worked hard to get to this position. 

Born in Portsmouth in 1999, he joined Chelsea's youth academy at the age of six and made his first-team debut at 18. 

Mount returned to his parent club in the summer of 2019 after thriving under Frank Lampard on loan at Derby, before the former midfielder gave Mount his chance in blue when appointed to the Stamford Bridge hotseat.

The midfielder delivered 13 direct goal contributions in the Premier League in 2019-20 and 12 in 2020-21. His best form, however, came in 2021-22, when he recorded 21 goal contributions in 32 games.

Top, top player

Potter, speaking in October, revealed that he loves working with Mount and finds some of the criticism directed towards him strange. 

He said: "[Working with Mount] is a joy — he is a fantastic person. He loves to play football and loves the club. 

"It is surprising that I get questions on mixed opinion about Mason. I find that strange, especially from the outside, and then when you work with him you see has got everything you need to be a top, top player. 

"Great attitude, he understands spaces, he can execute assists and score goals. He is top."

Importance of timing

If Mount really does want to fulfil his potential at Chelsea, he needs to perform at the business end of this season. 

He has played 1,126 minutes of Premier League football this term, contributing three goals and two assists — only Kai Havertz and Raheem Sterling have delivered as many goal contributions for the Blues. 

Mount and Sterling are also tied for the number of chances each have created (21).

The 23-year-old will enter the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge in the summer and consistently producing those kind of numbers will only strengthen his position in negotiations.