Pat Nevin has just written his last column of the season on the Chelsea website, and as you’d expect it remains something of a propaganda exercise for the ownership.
In this case – without getting this specific – he defends the departures of Mason Mount and N’Golo Kante, against the wishes of the fans. He says that being a chief executive is more stressful than being a manager or player (he would know…) He points to last year’s example of Antonio Rudiger doing a similar thing, but circumstances just making it impossible for him to stay:
“We know some players will leave and there could be a few that some would rather see staying on, but these are the circumstances that can arise. Remember nobody wanted the likes of Toni Rudiger to go but a mix of sanctions and new contract freezing meant that he left, even if very few at the club wanted it to happen. It is however about what can be built after Mauricio Pochettino finally gets the squad to look the way he wants it to. The sooner that happens the better.”
It’s a good example to choose because it does sum up the absurdity of football quite well. You had a player who was happy to stay, a club who wanted to keep him, and fans who were desperate for their cult favourite to remain at the club.
Even more ridiculously, once he had gone, it cost far more to replace him than it would have done to keep him in the first place when we spent €40m on Kalidou Koulibaly.
But that’s modern football for you – contracts, money, egos, international criminal sanctions – all these things can lead to outcomes that seem illogical to start with.
Chelsea were under sanctions & couldn’t re-new any players contracts , Mount refuses to sign a new contract (Chelsea offered 4 contracts to him) he wants 260 grand a week on a 3 year contract , Kante’s contract has ended & is a free agent Kante refused to sign a new contract in January
Yeah, seems like apples and oranges to me. No sanctions muddying the water here. It’s business plain and simple, and I’d like to challenge all of the supporters (including SuperFrank, who labels anything that isn’t bashing the owners as “propaganda”) to explain how they propose keeping Mount and Kante while keeping the club solvent, lol!
First off, I love Kante, but at his age and given his injury rate it would be idiotic to pay him what the Saudis have offered him. I-DI-O-TIC! So, let’s not act like there was any fiscally responsible way to keep Kante. He’s been a wonderful servant to the club. We wish him well. Case closed.
As for Mount, @bluehowe points out the rub—he’s demanding FAR more than he’s worth (260k/week?!?!). I guess you can grudgingly admire the cojones on the kid for making such an extravagant demand (especially when you consider that the likes of Harry Kane only earns 200k/week), but it’d be criminal for the owners to cave to him when you consider Mount wants to be among the highest paid players in the league after his worst season at the club. They simply cannot afford, under any circumstances, to be extorted like this by Mount or it’ll be Katie bar the door ever after with every budding starlet whose had a decent season or two at Chelsea demanding “the Mason Mount” treatment. Whine and complain (or cry in your beer), but it would be BAD, BAD business to give in to Mount’s demands (although, ironically, then you’d have something legitimate to blame the owners for!).
So, enough of this incessant whining about the owners and Mason Mount. Either put up some numbers and make a real argument (not a bunch of sentimental BS) for why he’s worth 260k/week or shut up already.
Thanks for hitting the nail on the head, I’ve been saying this all along. It’s greed that’s getting to Mount. His demand is ridiculous considering the season was nothing to write home about, he was not at his best, including most of our players
It good to think about the progress of club more than selfish businesses.
I advise the young boy not to think on self than the wellbeing of the club
Chelsea has faced a lot during the change of ownership. To rebuild the club need self sacrifices and cooperations
About Kante ,give him another chance.
Don’t think to let all old players at once and bring new ones.
Marcos Alonso was sold in exchange of the new player but still that has not giving any progress.
Thank RUDIGER for your concern about your former club
Go Chelsea go