Having established himself as a pivotal player under Frank Lampard this season, the Blues youngster now wants his first taste of silverware.
Mason Mount has claimed that Chelsea can be “a top contender in any competition” ahead of Ajax‘s visit to Stamford Bridge in the Champions League on Tuesday evening.
The Blues triumphed 1-0 at the Johan Cruyff ArenA back in October, in what has to go down as one of their most impressive results under Frank Lampard to date.
That came in the middle of a seven-match winning streak in all competitions, a run which came to an end with a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
Chelsea got one over on Watford on Saturday, however, and they seem to have found a degree of consistency.
After a hit-and-miss start to the season, Mount and co have gained in confidence and he and his fellow youngsters seem to be thriving.
“We’ve had to deal with competition throughout our whole time being in the academy,” Mount said on Monday. “You come into a team and there are players from all different countries so you have to work to show how good you are.
“There’s always been that competition within Chelsea, so we’re all ready for that, and there’s massive competition within the team now to fight for your place.
“We want to win trophies and we want to be top of the league. We’re so tight as a team, the bond is so good and we’ve got that focus and togetherness that we need to win trophies. That’s our next goal, to win a major trophy.
“We just need to keep getting better and better, which is what we’ve shown over the last couple of weeks.
“If we carry on this level of performance, we can definitely be a top contender in any competition.”
Mount also talked up Lampard’s management having spent last season working with him on loan at Derby County.
“He’s been a massive influence for me,” he said. “Working under him last season, knowing how he likes to work and how he likes to play, that’s probably given me and Fikayo [Tomori, who was also on loan at Derby last term] that advantage coming back to Chelsea.
“He’s been brilliant. I’m learning off him every day, trying to perfect my attacking and defending, and there’s no better person for me to work under.”
While their ongoing transfer embargo means that Chelsea will not be able to make any senior signings until next summer, Mount feels that he and his fellow academy graduates have stepped up in the interim.
“I was always ready,” he said, when asked about his increasingly pivotal role in the team. “I’ve been at the club for a very long time so you’ve got to have belief in yourself and be ready for that opportunity.
“It probably did come a bit earlier than I expected, but I was ready and so fully focused on taking my opportunity and trying to play well. It’s been brilliant and I’m loving every moment of it.”
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