Mason Mount would have been a contender to become Chelsea’s next captain if he were still at the club.
That is according to The Athletic.
Chelsea now find themselves in the position of needing to appoint a new club captain, with Cesar Azpilicueta officially exiting Stamford Bridge yesterday and signing for Atletico Madrid on a one-year deal.
One player not on the shortlist is Mason Mount, though, who Chelsea sold to Manchester United earlier this summer.
The Athletic claims that Mount would have been a ‘serious contender’ to succeed Azpilicueta as the Chelsea skipper.
It is understood that the 24-year-old was earmarked for the leadership role by both the current and previous ownership at Stamford Bridge.
However, negotiations broke down over him signing a contract extension, which has eventually led to him leaving the club to join Premier League rivals Manchester United.
Mount, who’s been described as “outstanding” by Paul Merson (Sky Sports), would have been a popular pick with Chelsea supporters a few months ago when debating Azpilicueta’s successor as club skipper.
However, he’s now moved to Manchester and his exit didn’t go down well with everybody.
Now the Mount saga is over, we would like to focus solely on who will become the next captain.
The short-term solution has to be Thiago Silva. However, the long-term investment in academy graduate Reece James would be our preferred pick.
We’re seeing a lot of Cobham talents move on and find homes elsewhere, but James is a player who bleeds Chelsea and could thrive with the extra responsibility.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
