Chelsea star Mason Mount reflects on the effects of the sanctions following an victory vs Norwich City
In his post-match comments after the emphatic victory against Norwich City (h/t Metro), Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount opens up about how the recent sanctions have affected the club.
These have been uncertain times for the Blues supporters as well as the players. The UK Government has identified Roman Abramovich as one of the seven Russian oligarchs who have close ties to Vladimir Putin, thus imposing strict sanctions on him in light of the invasion of Ukraine which has put the lives of millions in jeopardy.
There would certainly be some nerves with the dressing room as well as everyone in the hierarchy pertaining to this decision. The Blues managed to put all of this off-field noise behind them as they recorded a superb victory against the Canaries in their latest Premier League fixture.
Chelsea academy graduates Trevoh Chalobah and Mount got on the scoresheet in the early stages of the first half to give them a comfortable lead. Teemu Pukki pulled one back for Norwich in the 69th minute via a penalty but it was too little too late by that time as Kai Havertz put the tie to bed after bagging another goal for himself in the 90th minute.
Speaking after the victory at Carrow Road (h/t Metro), the 23-year-old shed light on how the players have struggled to focus in view of recent events. The English midfielder also stated that they were brilliant on the pitch against the Canaries despite all the recent turmoil that has taken place.
‘It’s not been easy, of course. We see what’s happening behind the scenes and everything that’s going on, it can be hard to focus. But I think we’ve been brilliant, especially today. With everything that’s happening off the pitch, for us to stay focused and stay on the ball to win this game, I thought we were brilliant. We just need to focus on what we can do on the pitch, that’s our only goal.’
What’s ahead for Chelsea?
Abramovich purchased the Blues for a sum of £140million back in 2003 and has transformed them into one of the most elite clubs in the world. The Blues have won a plethora of titles across England and Europe ever since the Russian oligarch took ownership of the club.
According to The Times (Subscription Required), Chelsea have been dealt a further blow with their main shirt sponsor ‘Three’ assessing their current deal in light of recent developments. Whilst the special sanctions have allowed the footballing activities to continue normally, the club cannot sell their merchandise or tickets for the foreseeable future.
Whilst the Blues can continue to pay the wages of the coaching staff and players, they will not be able to make any new transfers or put forward any contract renewals. This has potentially put the future of the club in doubt and those who closely follow Chelsea would be scared as to what the future holds for them.
Thankfully, the West Londoners haven’t let it affect their performance on the pitch. With a crunch UEFA Champions League tie against LOSC Lille coming up in the following week, the club would be looking to carry forward their momentum on the pitch.
Havertz has found his scoring boots once again and is being preferred to Romelu Lukaku up front by Thomas Tuchel. The German international opened the scoring for the Blues in the first leg of the UCL tie against the French club and would be hoping to recreate that same magic once again on 17th March.
More Chelsea News
- Blues captain Cesar Azpilicueta: It’s not been a normal day at Chelsea after sanctions were imposed on the club
- Tuchel reveals he is ‘happy’ at Chelsea despite rumours of him leaving following Roman Abramovich sanction
- PSG enter the race to sign Barcelona star Ronald Araujo amidst Chelsea interest
The club is still competing on several fronts as it reaches the business end of the football season. The Blues, therefore, have a lot to play for and it would be in most people’s interest that a solution is found sooner rather than later and this whole thing can be put behind us.
Until then, the best the team can do is focus on matters on the pitch and win as many games as possible.