Mount appoints new agent as he edges towards Chelsea exit

AHEAD OF THE GAME: Mason Mount’s change of agent hints at Chelsea exit door, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink will continue to work as a pundit despite his England role – and Gary Lineker is yet to commit to BBC’s Champions League show next season

• Mason Mount’s contract talks with Chelsea have made little progress so far
• The midfielder has now appointed a new agent and looks headed for the door
• Gary Lineker has not committed to the BBC Champions League highlights show

Mason Mount has appointed a new agent, Neil Fewings from Wasserman Media Group, to manage a potential transfer from Chelsea – the strongest indication yet that he is set to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.

The England midfielder has been in a deadlock with Chelsea all season over the terms of a new contract and there appears little sign of a resolution as he prepares to enter the final 12 months of his deal, with the club insisting they have made their final offer.

Mount has been looked after by dad Tony for the last 18 months since leaving his previous management company, Stellar Football.

The pair have sought more specialist assistance to negotiate with other clubs.

Manchester United have joined Liverpool and Newcastle in pursuing Mount so the change of approach may already be paying off.

Mason Mount has appointed a new agent as his Chelsea contract talks continue to stall

The England midfielder is wanted this summer by Newcastle, Manchester United and Liverpool

FA’S HASSLE OVER HASSELBAINK 

Gareth Southgate’s desire to appoint Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink to his backroom staff has not gone down well with some members of staff at St George’s Park.

The move is part of the FA’s commitment to giving more opportunities to BAME coaches, but staff feel the scheme should be used to develop English coaches.

Senior figures involved in creating the BAME Coaching Placement Programme, funded by the FA and PFA, have expressed misgivings as the scheme was designed to give a platform for young coaches to get back into the game.

The original 2018 intake comprised Chris Powell, Sol Campbell, Kieron Dyer, Paul Nevin, Terry Connor and Alena Moulton, who all went on to gain club jobs on the back of working with England. 

As a 50-year-old Dutchman who has already had five managerial jobs, Hasselbaink has a different profile, but is set to join Southgate’s staff for England’s European Championship qualifying campaign in place of Powell, whose deal expired after the World Cup.

Eyebrows have also been raised at the fact Hasselbaink will continue to work as a Sky Sports pundit, so may be asked to criticise players he is working with. The former striker also may have benefited from his relationship with Southgate, whom he played with at Middlesbrough.

Gareth Southgate’s wish to appoint Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink to his backroom staff has caused controversy at the FA – not least as he will continue in his role as a pundit for Sky Sports

COACH CHAOS DID FOR VIEIRA

Patrick Vieira’s exit as Crystal Palace boss was not helped by tension between some of his players and assistant manager Osian Roberts, who also left the club on Friday. 

The former Wales assistant was brought to Selhurst Park by Vieira last summer and did not gel with all members of the Palace squad.

Vieira’s decision to sack another coach, Shaun Derry, last month also appears to have backfired. Palace have not won any of their seven games since Derry left, with a number of players feeling the loss of the former club captain’s passionate and combative approach.

LINEKER STALLING ON BBC

Gary Lineker has yet to commit to presenting the BBC’s Champions League coverage when their highlights programme begins next year. 

Lineker is wanted by BT Sport to become the face of the rebranded TNT Sports next season, although the new venture is making up to 200 staff redundant and a formal offer is not imminent.

Gary Lineker is yet to commit to hosting next season’s BBC Champions League highlights show

The BBC have the rights to Champions League highlights for the first time from 2024, with Lineker’s BBC contract running until 2025. 

The Match of the Day presenter returns to screens on Saturday evening following last weekend’s extraordinary boycott. 

Talks with the BBC over his future will take place at the end of the season.

PUT YOUR SHIRT ON RAMSEY

Arsenal’s golden run continued at the London Football Awards this week, with chief executive Vinai Venkatesham winning first prize in the raffle – an England shirt to be signed by all of the squad for this month’s European Championship qualifiers.

Venkatesham returned the prize and asked for the raffle to be redrawn, with the shirt eventually won by QPR’s technical director Chris Ramsey.

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