GM, Free Agents.

Welcome to the The Free Transfer— the 5-min daily newsletter making you smarter about football.

It’s not even June & the transfer market couldn’t be hotter.

We’ve got some juicy ones to discuss today:

• Mason Mount wants to leave Chelsea for Manchester United 😮🔄 

• “Moneyball” Brighton— the blueprint for small club success 🔵🤓💱 

MASON MOUNT TO MANCHESTER UNITED? 😮🔄 

Yes, Chelsea fans. It’s true. Mason Mount wants to leave Chelsea (it gets worse) for Manchester United.

How did we get here?— a short story 📖 

Almost two years ago to the day Mount assisted Chelsea’s Champions-League-winning goal against Manchester City.

Mount then went on to have his most productive season ever with 21 goals & assists in the Premier League in 2021-2022.

Fast-forward a year:

• Todd Boehly bought the club last summer and… spent ungodly amounts on new players & contract renewals, sacked Tuchel due to “differences” in vision for the club, hired & fired Potter in 6 painful months, & now stares down the barrel of a 12-13th place finish in the Premier League.

All this chopping & changing of managers hasn’t helped Mount’s form. He started only 20 matches in the PL this year, amassing 5 goals & assists.

Boehly & Pochettino have both tried to pitch Mount on the new project for 2023 and beyond, but he is not convinced (per David Ornstein). His contract expires in summer 2024. Not wanting to lose him on a free transfer in a year’s time, it is likely Mount will get his move this summer.

Interested clubs 🔴 🔴 🔴

Over the past few months, Mount has been heavily linked to a move to Liverpool. Last month, it was revealed that Arsenal & Manchester United were open to making moves for Mount too.

As of yesterday, David Ornstein revealed that Mount’s preference would be to go to Manchester United. 

With that in mind, let’s see how that could play out.

How would he fit in at Manchester United? 🔢 

Mount’s position(s)

Over the years, Mount has played mostly as a #10 for Chelsea. He has also been used in an advanced #8 role & at right wing (RW).

Where could he play for United?

This season United have played Ten Hag’s version of a 433 / 4231. Mount would fit very well into Bruno’s #10/#8+/SS role, but could also play in Eriksen’s #8 role or at RW if needed. ⤵️ 

His best role for United would be in Bruno’s second striker (SS)/#10 role. He would have the freedom to be very direct in the final third, which is where he is at his best. United will need depth to compete in UCL & PL next season.

On the wing he could be an asset for his ability to find a man with a cross, long passing, & ball retention. In Eriksen’s “build-up-focused #8” role he could do a job, but it wouldn’t be his best position.

• A midfield of Mount-Casemiro-Bruno could be a pretty unbalanced one.

He is less a “creative” #10 like Martin Odegaard, but more a high volume shooting #10/SS (second striker) like Bruno Fernades or Kevin De Bruyne.

Although he could offer a lot to Manchester United, his profile/position is much less a priority than a #9 & box-to-box #8 that can help Casemiro in build-up+defense (think Rabiot, De Jong, Declan Rice, Bellingham, etc).

How much will he cost? 💰️ 

Reports from Fabrizio Romano & Times Sport suggest that Chelsea will want north of £70mm for their academy product. United are said to want a deal closer to that of Raheem Sterling last summer, who moved to Chelsea for around £50mm with one year to go on his contract at Manchester City.

A deal could probably be made between United & Chelsea for ~£60mm. History tells us that fee & wages shouldn’t be a problem for United.

Note: It is unlikely that either Liverpool or Arsenal would be willing to go higher than £50mm, or offer wages as high as United. This is key for the deal.

Cue the waterworks, Chelsea fans 🥲 🥺 

There is something different about an academy graduate doing it on the big stage for their club. These new purchases will keep Chelsea fans interested, but it would hurt to see Mount succeed for a Premier League rival. Let’s see how it plays out.

“MONEYBALL” BRIGHTON— the blueprint for small club success 🕊️ 🔵 🤓 💱 

After a fantastic performance last night in a draw vs. (admittedly hungover) Manchester City, Brighton have punched their ticket to next season’s Europa League. The club had never previously qualified for any European competition in their history. How’d they do it?

I’m sure most teams wish they could hit the levels that hungover Manchester City do.

How did Brighton get here? 😐️ ⏩️ 😲 

Entertaining football 😎

Roberto De Zerbi has been the best rookie coach in the Premier League this season, by a mile.

Building on the foundation that Graham Potter laid at Brighton over the past three seasons, De Zerbi has taken Brighton’s style to a new level. Postional fluidity & one touch passing are what stand out. It is truly brilliant to watch.

He has also inherited the Pep Guardiola “rotate your starters until FPL managers pull their hair out” gene. With no one’s starting role safe, everyone’s level raises.

Market makers 🤓 💸 💱 

Brighton have fueled their success by taking chances on young, high-potential players that fit perfectly into their progressive playstyle. This makes their players extremely marketable to the “Big 7” (welcome, Newcastle) clubs.

Some examples:

• Marc Cucurella

  • Bought for €18mm in 2021

  • Sold to Chelsea for €65mm in 2022 💸 

  • Immediately bought Pervis Estupinan to replace Cucurella, who has been one of the best leftbacks in the PL in his debut season

• Yves Bissouma

  • Bought for €15mm in 18/19

  • Sold to Tottenham for €30mm in 2022 💸 

• Leandro Trossard

  • Bought for €15mm in 19/20

  • Sold to Arsenal for €25mm in 2022 💸 

• Alexis Mac Allister

  • Bought for €8mm in 18/19

  • Deal for €85mm+ to Liverpool this summer looks close to being finalized 💸 

• Moises Caicedo

  • Fought off Manchester United to buy him for €5mm in 2020

  • Rejected Arsenal & Chelsea bids of €80mm in January 2022

  • Sale of €75mm+ likely this summer (to one of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, etc.) 💸 

Players that Brighton will make huge profits from in the years to come:

• Julio Enciso (19y), Evan Ferguson (18y), Facundo Buonanotte (18y), Kaoru Mitoma (26y), Tariq Lamptey (22y), & more…💸💸💸 

It seems Brighton always have a few players waiting in the wings in case any of their players are sold— whether already at the club or ready to be purchased.

Conclusion 📕 

Tony Bloom (owner, chairman) & David Weir (technical director) have built a true “Moneyball” club, which has now taken the next step in its evolution to compete in Europe. They have given small clubs the blueprint of how to compete with the big boys.

Either on or off the pitch, any club in Europe could learn a thing or two from Brighton & Hove Albion. It will be fun to see how far they go.

That’s all for today folks. Thanks for tuning in.

—The Gaffer

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