For all the talk of big-money additions and using the transfer market to bolster the squad, Chelsea have a rich history of bringing players through their academy system.
Current first-team stars Reece James, Levi Colwill, and Trevoh Chalobah all came through Cobham to star in the first-team, much to the delight of the Blues supporters.
Bringing players up from the youth set-up saves the club millions as any first-team addition through the academy alleviates the need to spend big money on a new player in their position.
As sad as the reality of it is, academy graduates are also beneficial to clubs from a PSR (profit and sustainability rules) perspective, as they represent pure profit on the books if they are sold on, which has helped the Blues in recent seasons.
Chelsea's most valuable former players
The likes of Conor Gallagher, Mason Mount, and Marc Guehi have all come through the ranks at Cobham before eventually being sold for significant fees to bolster club coffers.
As you can see in the graphic above, all three of them, alongside Nathan Ake and Ian Maatsen, are now among the most valuable former Chelsea players currently active in the game.
One thing that you may also notice from that graphic is that Mount is at the bottom of the top ten, despite being sold for a significantly higher fee in the summer of 2023.
The England international decided to move on from Stamford Bridge almost two years ago and, at the time of writing, it does not appear to have been the right call for his career.
Mason Mount's declining market value
In the summer of 2023, Manchester United swooped in to sign the Cobham graduate for a reported fee of up to £60m, which would place him second in that ‘most valuable’ list and only £2m by Kai Havertz.
He was valued at £60m after breaking into the first-team at Chelsea and showcasing his potential at Premier League level under Frank Lampard, who brought him into the senior side after working with him at Derby County.
Mount, who was hailed as “exceptional” by Lampard, ended his Chelsea career with a return of 33 goals and 35 assists in 195 appearances in all competitions, as he proved himself to be adept at scoring and creating goals from an attacking midfield role.
Unfortunately, for the Champions League winner with the Blues, he has been unable to carry that form over to his time with Manchester United.
Appearances
22
xG
0.78
Goals
1
Big chances created
0
Key passes per game
0.5
Assists
0
As you can see in the table above, Mount has offered very little in the way of an attacking threat in the final third during his Premier League career with the Red Devils to date.
The fact that he has missed 44 matches through injury since the start of last season has not helped his performances on the pitch, however, and may have also contributed to his declining value.
At the time of writing (19/02/2025), Transfermarkt values Mount at just £26m. This means that his value has plummeted by a staggering £34m within the space of two years.
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Therefore, Chelsea have hit the jackpot with the attacking midfielder as they managed to cash in on him before his fitness and performances declined, selling the ‘exceptional’ academy graduate for significantly more than he is currently worth.