Mason Mount has previously been replaced at Chelsea by Mauricio Pochettino amid a £60 million deal to Man United

With Mason Mount on his way to Manchester United, football.london takes a look at who could replace him in Chelsea’s squad for the 2023/24 season

The 24-year-old’s contract at Stamford Bridge is for less than a year and after months of talks with the Blues over a possible extension of his stay, a decision has now been made.

It’s obviously a blow for Chelsea to lose a player of Mount’s quality, but there could be upsides to selling the midfielder.

One bright spot could be the chances for young players whose development path may have been blocked while Mount was playing football at Stamford Bridge. Carney Chukwuemeka, who plays a similar role at Mount, could be one such player.

The 19-year-old made just 15 appearances for Chelsea – in all competitions – in his first season in west London following his £20m move from Aston Villa.

Chukwuemeka only managed two Premier League appearances; one against Crystal Palace in January and the other coming at Old Trafford in a defeat to Manchester United in the penultimate match of the 2022/23 season.

Football.london were told a few months ago that Chelsea would consider sending Chukwuemeka on loan in Mauricio Pochettino’s first season at the club.

However, this may not have taken into account the possibility of Mount leaving the Blues, so the teenager can now be seen as a more important figure.

Pochettino, who officially took over as Chelsea head coach on Saturday, will bring in his new players for the first time next week in preparation for the season.

He will no doubt be talking to everyone at some point about what next season has in store for them, and Chukwuemeka will definitely be one of those talking to the Argentina coach. We need to see a solid position and role for Chukwuemeka.

Whether it’s as a number 8 in central midfield or perhaps further down the pitch. The teenager is available in both roles and was in West London during his debut season.

“I’m probably more comfortable as 8 left footed out of three,” Chukwuemeka told Chelsea internal media in January. “But further on I can drift or stay wide. “It gives me that freedom to drive the ball and pocket it. It’s always nice to be versatile.”

He showed his strength when he ran with the ball in that game against Manchester United towards the end of last season.

There were a few moments where Chukwuemeka picked up the ball from deep and headed towards the United defense and because of his speed and power it is very difficult to deprive him of the ball.

Chukwuemeka is an extremely exciting young footballer. A loan could get him more but it really depends on what Chelsea do in the transfer window, whether or not he buys a direct replacement for Mount.

Football.london understands that Gabri Veiga is an option for the club, especially as Mount’s exit becomes official.

However, with so many midfielders leaving or having already left, there could be more opportunities for Chukwuemeka in a Chelsea shirt next season.