Manchester United sign Mason Mount from Chelsea in £60 million deal, but is he what they needed most?

Mount has signed a contract that will tie him to Old Trafford until 2028

In normal circumstances, Manchester United's signing of Mason Mount would have the feel of an almighty coup. A fee of £55 million with a further £5 million in add ons might feel like an overpay for a man who had less than a year to run on his contract at Chelsea, but 24-year-olds with 36 England caps don't come cheap, as Arsenal can attest. The Gunners were one of the teams lining up for Mount, Liverpool too, but it was United that won the day.

Mount has agreed a five year contract at Old Trafford with the option for a further 12 months. United's third bid ultimately proved to be enough for Chelsea, who had initially rejected the offer, once it became apparent that their No.19 did not want to extend a tenure with the club he joined as a six year old. 

"We have admired his talents for a long time, so we are delighted that he has chosen to take the next steps in his career here at Old Trafford," said Manchester United football director John Murtough. "His style of play and attributes are a perfect fit for this squad, and we all believe that he will only improve further working with Erik ten Hag and his coaching staff.

"Mason himself is a world-class player but he also has the ability to improve the players around him through his game intelligence and tactical awareness. We were particularly impressed by his strong desire to join United, and his thirst for further success, as we push to drive up our performance levels next season and beyond."

This seems like as smash a hit as United could wish for. For a fee that scarcely ranks in the top 10 most expensive they have paid in their history, United have secured a coach's dream. Gareth Southgate, Thomas Tuchel and, in his first spell, Frank Lampard have all been prepared to upset established stars and their fanbase to find a space for the midfielder in their team. When the latter called Mount the best in his position "in terms of pressing and jumping from midfield to win the ball back", there was precious little outcry. 

At his best Mount combines that off ball work with a sizeable return goal return. In the three Premier League seasons prior to last he delivered combined goals and assists tallies of 11, 12 and 21. By the 2021-22 campaign, when he was at the peak of his powers under Thomas Tuchel, he was delivering a combined non-penalty expected goals and expected assists return of 0.54 per 90 minutes, delivering with a consistency comparable to Bruno Fernandes or Bukayo Saka. That Mount was an output machine, not necessarily the player to get you to the final third but one who could make a decisive contribution when he got there.

Mount was nothing like that player last season but that can be explained away relatively easily. Chelsea began the season in a hole and opted to continually dig. In such circumstances, the man who had been raised as the lode star for the new Stamford Bridge, the great hope for future academy graduates, concluded he would have to go elsewhere. In such circumstances his minutes and output cratered. It hardly seems unimaginable that he will soon be back on his old path in new surroundings.

Twenty3

"It's never easy leaving the club where you grew up, but Manchester United will provide an exciting new challenge for the next phase of my career," said Mount. "Having competed against them, I know just how strong a squad it is that I'm joining, and I can't wait to be part of this group's drive to win major trophies.

"Everyone can see that the club has made big steps forward under Erik ten Hag. Having met with the manager and discussed his plans, I couldn't be more excited for the seasons ahead, and am ready for the hard work expected here.

"I am hugely ambitious; I know how amazing it feels to win major trophies and what it takes to do it. I will be giving everything to experience that again at Manchester United."

The fit, the timing, even the fee: everything about this deals feels right for Manchester United... until you consider the opportunity cost of doing it. In years gone by signing Mount might hardly have touched the side of the Old Trafford coffers, but as takeover talks rumble on finances are constrained. Is a hybrid right forward, playmaker and central midfielder a valuable player for Ten Hag? Certainly. This United squad, however, needs significant further improvement to kick on from last season's third place finish.

High on their wishlist is a goalkeeper but so far no offer has gone in for Inter's Andre Onana, who will cost the sort of fee that is no issue to Saudi giants Al Nassr. Even more of a pressing concern is the lack of a real center forward option. The likes of Harry Kane and Victor Osimhen might have been beyond United's price point even if Mount didn't come but fewer of last season's problems are going to be solved by this new signing than a No.9.

Mount will almost certainly be a success for United, whether it is providing a rotational option for the first choice midfield of Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen, eventually supplanting the latter or rivalling Antony on the right wing. Ten Hag, however, needs a lot more. Getting all that with the finances what they are may well be a stretch.