"He has saved Chelsea £70m" - Paul Merson lauds academy star's meteoritic rise

Former Arsenal player Paul Merson believes the rise of academy stars, such as Mason Mount, has helped Chelsea save about £70 million in the long run.

Writing in the Daily Star (via the Chelsea Chronicle), Paul Merson believes Chelsea's academy graduates like Reece James and Mason Mount help the club spend money on bigger transfer targets like Romelu Lukaku. Merson writes:

“Chelsea have had a good crop come through. Mason Mount, Reece James, Callum Hudson-Odoi. When you have players like that coming through it helps. Mason Mount has saved Chelsea £70m. That’s how they can go out and spend their money on a Romelu Lukaku."

Mason Mount has been a revelation ever since he made his Chelsea debut under Frank Lampard back in 2019. Mount has been at the Chelsea academy since the age of six and has had a meteoric rise through the ranks.

The 22-year-old midfielder also fulfilled a childhood dream of winning the Champions League with Chelsea. Mason Mount provided the assist for Kai Havertz to score the winning goal against Manchester City in the final.

The rise of Mason Mount has helped Chelsea save some cash in the long run. The Blues usually spend big money during the transfer window to lure big-name players. However, the transfer ban imposed on them a couple of years ago was a blessing in disguise for young players. These include players like Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Reece James who all got their chance in the first-team.

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It is worth noting that Transfermarkt is already valuing Mason Mount at £67.5 million. And since England youngsters tend to cost a lot more than their actual value, it is fair to say Chelsea have a gem on their hands.

Chelsea have let some of their academy graduates leave this summer

Unlike Reece James and Mason Mount, certain academy stars did not get the opportunity they deserved. And they decided to leave Chelsea in the summer transfer window.

The most notable exit was that of Tammy Abraham, who left Stamford Bridge to join Jose Mourinho at AS Roma for a fee of around £34 million. However, Chelsea have included a buy-back clause worth £68 million which will only get activated once Abraham finishes two seasons in Rome.

Another player to have left Chelsea on a permanent basis is defender Fikayo Tomori. The 23-year-old joined AC Milan after spending six months on loan at the San Siro. However, unlike Tammy Abraham, Chelsea did not include a buy-back clause in Tomori's deal. This means the Blues could find it difficult to re-sign their academy star if he turns out to be good.

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