Todd Boehly close to first January transfer as Mason Mount solution offered
Arsen Zakharyan makes huge move
According to reports, Chelsea and Boehly will make another effort to sign the talented 19-year-old during one of the forthcoming transfer windows, and the player in question is ready to take some action that should hasten the process—possibly in time for January.
Journalist @hrachoff tweeted: “Arsen Zakharyan is considering requesting Armenian citizenship. This is almost certainly due to his potential transfer in January. However, there is also a chance that FIFA could make an exception and let him represent the Armenia national team instead of Russia.”
It is likely that Zakharyan would follow Cesare Casadei’s path in playing for the academy upon arrival rather than being sent out on loan elsewhere, with the club keen for young stars who don’t speak English to learn the language and culture before making the eventual step up.
Alongside the likes of Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic, two players who have both underwhelmed under Tuchel’s management and especially at the start of the campaign, one star in the eyes of many Chelsea fans who hasn’t recently lived up to the billing is Mason Mount.
This is despite Gareth Southgate continually selecting the 23-year-old, who has only one assist for his club currently, for England’s upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures against Germany and Italy.
Be under no illusion though, alongside sections of the fanbase, former Chelsea defender Glen Johnson reckons Mount’s World Cup place could be at risk, considering the slow start made in 2022/23.
He told Bettingodds.com: “Definitely. He needs to be scoring and creating goals because that’s what he’s good at. Mason was at the centre of everything that Chelsea did well last season, so he will be disappointed that he doesn’t have a goal and a couple assists already this season.
“You need to be playing well to play for England, that’s for sure. It can all change quickly and he can get a goal or assist from somewhere and end up with some pretty decent figures. To cement himself in England’s World Cup starting line-up, then he’s got to start getting himself some goals.”
How can this situation be solved to the benefit of Chelsea and Potter? Well, the examples of the new Head Coach being able to turn unknown players into decent ones, with Marc Cucurella coming to mind, will provide some hope that the best is yet to come this term from the Blues’ No. 19.
Of course, the January transfer window is there as an insurance policy and perhaps providing Mount with some extra competition could help the player in question up his game further. Perhaps, Alexis Mac Allister or Pascal Gross could be of interest for a Potter reunion just like Moises Caicedo, who has also been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge.