Saturdays mean Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports, and that means another rant from Paul Merson.
While many consider him a joke – and he certainly doesn’t take himself too seriously – he also makes great points, and in a world of hyperbole online is starting to emerge as a pundit who may actually know what he’s talking about.
In this case he’s laid into Chelsea for what is going on with Mason Mount and his contract situation. He drew unflattering parallels with last year’s departure of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.
“We saw it last season with Antonio Rudiger, who was outstanding and one of the best defenders at the club. He asked for more money and they didn’t give him it and then they buy Kalidou Koulibaly for £33m on a four-year contract which works out as more money than what they’d give Rudiger,” the former Arsenal defender pointed out in quotes picked up by the Metro.
“Now they’re doing it with Mount. He’s one of their own, he hasn’t had a very good season but they’re judging it just on one season. The year before he was Chelsea’s best player. He was one of the first names on the teamsheet for England. Now they’re letting him go. It’s mind-blowing.
“They’ll bring someone in who will probably take another year to get used to the league because they will have played abroad.
“You’re also letting a very good footballer go to Manchester United or Liverpool, who Chelsea are fighting with to get into the top four next season. You couldn’t write it.
“How can you let him go to a club that could majorly haunt you? United won’t believe their luck if they get him.”
You won’t find any disagreement here. Whatever the causes, if the result is a home grown, double player of the year winner departing on the cheap, there can be no doubt you’ve messed up somewhere along the way.
The results of a year of ill advised spending won’t just hit the club’s bank account now, it has caused ripples which will last a decade or more.