20 February 2023 , 06:00
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Paul Merson has discounted Graham Potter's chances of being able to turn things around at Chelsea, in a verdict that spells major trouble for their hopes of keeping Mason Mount.
The midfielder is out of contract at the end of next season, with talks over a new deal stalling. Tying Mount down to a long-term deal had been one of Todd Boehly's priorities when he bought the Blues, but little progress has been made.
Even worse for Chelsea, they are in the midst of a serious rut under Potter, winning just two of their last 15 games in all competitions. Mount is also struggling for form, failing to score or claim an assist in his last nine games.
The latest low point for both Mount and the Blues came on Saturday when they fell to a dismal defeat to basement boys Southampton. And Merson's analysis of that loss, and Mount's part in it, will certainly worry Chelsea chiefs.
"I don’t see this stopping, I don’t. They’re bought a lorry load of individuals, I’m afraid. They’ve not bought anybody for the team, it’s all dribblers. Forget Enzo Fernandez, he’s a top player, he’s a holding midfield player but the others," he told Sky Sports.
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"Mount played today and he got eaten up. People were dribbling, there were no phases of the game, it’s only when [Kai] Havertz came on and he started playing with [Joao] Felix and [Raheem] Sterling that there were passages of play.
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Paul Merson has slammed Graham Potter's management of Mount"But I don’t see this stopping. I think this is a massive, massive, massive interview now coming up for Graham Potter. Chelsea fans will be fuming, they won’t want to come for this, ‘oh Southampton have got a new manager so that helped them’.
"If you don’t beat Southampton at home, their goalkeeper should be the best player on the pitch and he wasn’t the best player on the pitch."
That scary verdict comes with Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City all monitoring Mount's situation. According to ESPN, the trio of Premier League giants are watching Mount's talks with the Blues with a keen interest.
All three are expected to be in the market for a midfielder in the summer transfer window. While Mount is not pushing to leave Stamford Bridge, he is thought to be open to moving to a Premier League rival.
Talks will continue over a new contract between Mount and club chiefs, with the main stumbling block being his wariness over signing a deal similar to the ones Chelsea handed out in the January transfer window.
But with Potter failing to get the best out of Mount according to Merson, Chelsea are facing the growing possibility that he may move on in search of greener pastures. With the Englishman having been so key over the past few seasons, his exit would leave a huge hole.