Mason Mount has hailed Chelsea’s “family” atmosphere as the stimulus to the Stamford Bridge club’s Premier League title drive.
England forward Mount believes Chelsea’s mix of homegrown and stellar overseas talents have gelled into a group of close-knit friends with the emotional ties to push for top honours.
Mount heads a cast list of six academy graduates who can confidently boast mainstay status at Stamford Bridge this season.
The 2021 Champions League winners have made no secret of their desire to press for Premier League glory, and Mount paid tribute to the upbeat mood in the west London camp.
“There are a lot of players coming through from the academy at the moment, and we’ve known each other since we were six, seven, eight years old,” said Mount.
“We’re very close friends on and off the pitch. We’ve known each other a very long time and that helps when you have that close bond.
“Along with the other boys as well, we’re definitely like a family; the team is very close together.
“And I think that’s what you need if you want to go far in competitions, if you want to win big things and win the Premier League, and obviously that’s our next goal.”
Thomas Tuchel took just 124 days to turn Chelsea from a talented squad packed full of unfulfilled promise into champions of Europe.
The German boss whipped the Blues in the second-half of last season, and now has Chelsea right in the early running for the Premier League crown.
And Mount admitted Tuchel has already had a big influence on his own playing style – both with and without the ball.
“He’s been massive for me, to come in halfway through a season and do what he did last year, to win the Champions League and develop us all as players and as a group, he’s been brilliant since the first day he’s come in,” said Mount, speaking at an event to celebrate the new Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific map.
“For me personally he’s helped me on and off the ball, he’s helped me with confidence.
“And the way I like to play is very similar to his way he sets up and how he wants us to play.
“So I’m loving it, I’m loving every moment and hopefully we can keep winning things.”
