How Derby County and Frank Lampard helped Chelsea FC land major £55m cash windfall | OneFootball

Derby County kick-started Mason Mount's career before Chelsea sold the England international to Manchester United.

Chelsea legend Frank Lampard guided Derby County through one of their best seasons in recent years, as the Rams reached the 2019 Championship playoff final.

The Pride Park side were ultimately beaten 2-1 by Aston Villa at Wembley, as Jack Marriott's late goal failed to inspire a Derby comeback after the West Midlands side had established a two-goal lead thanks to strikes from Anwar El Ghazi and John McGinn.

Lampard couldn't steer the Rams to the Premier League, but his managerial exploits in the Championship did enough to convince the Stamford Bridge outfit to appoint their former midfielder as manager ahead of the 2019/20 season.

The ex-England star's time in charge of Derby was largely defined by the impressive performances of Fikayo Tomori and Mason Mount, then on loan from Chelsea.

Chelsea should always thank Derby County, Frank Lampard for large Mason Mount profit

The Premier League giants have seen several youngsters fail to make it in West London over the years, such as Nathaniel Chalobah, who made just 15 senior appearances for the Blues before representing clubs like Watford and Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship.

Contrastingly, fellow Chelsea academy graduate Mount notched 33 goals and 37 assists in 195 outings for the West Londoners before joining top-flight rivals Manchester United in the summer of 2023.

As reported by Sky Sports, the attacking midfielder left the Blues in favour of the Red Devils for £55million, which marked a total profit on the books for a homegrown profit.

Throughout his time at Chelsea, Mount was a regular England international and made four appearances for Gareth Southgate's Three Lions in the 2022 World Cup.

The West London outfit should always thank Derby and Lampard's efforts for the fact that he performed so well at Stamford Bridge, as the Rams handed the ex-Vitesse man his first platform to perform in the senior English game.

Mount's Pride Park stint witnessed him score 11 goals and produce a further five assists in 44 appearances across all competitions.

Mason Mount loan gives Derby County a high bar to always aspire to

The Championship has often proven itself as a fantastic breeding ground for young talent in the English game, as demonstrated by Jarrod Bowen's time with Hull City before he joined Premier League side West Ham United.

Meanwhile, eventual Crystal Palace FA Cup winner Adam Wharton excelled in the second tier for Blackburn Rovers before departing Ewood Park in favour of South London in 2024.

As well as stars such as Bowen and Wharton, Mount proved himself as one of the best young players in the Championship in recent seasons, and his efforts came agonisingly close to firing Derby all the way to the Premier League.

While the Rams strive to return to the top flight one day, they should always look to emulate the success of Mount's loan stint at Pride Park, as he consistently proved too good for second-tier defenders to deal with.

However, the fact that Lampard's long-standing Chelsea connections were instrumental in bringing both the attacking midfielder and Tomori to the Championship must be acknowledged, and it may be difficult for the East Midlands side to repeat such shrewd deals.