Frank Lampard hit the Derby County jackpot with Chelsea deal - John Eustace would love similar | OneFootball

Mason Mount's signing in 2018 proved a masterstroke by Derby County

Frank Lampard secured a loan deal with Chelsea for Mason Mount at the start of his tenure at Derby County and John Eustace will wish he could’ve been able to do the same.

The former England international made the move into management following the end of his playing career, taking over the club in the summer of 2018.

The Rams had missed out on promotion with a play-off defeat prior to his arrival, and improvements to the side had supporters optimistic of another push for a place in the top six.

Lampard was able to leverage his connections from his playing days to secure impressive loan deals for the likes of Mount and Fikayo Tomori from Chelsea, with then-Liverpool talent Harry Wilson also arriving on a temporary basis.

These proved crucial moves, with Derby enjoying a strong season in which they once again qualified for a play-off place by coming sixth in the Championship table.

Mason Mount’s impact under Frank Lampard at Derby County

Mount has enjoyed a massively successful career in football, with the highlight being his role in Chelsea’s 2021 Champions League triumph under Thomas Tuchel.

However, in the summer of 2018 he was still a relatively unknown player despite earning a positive reputation in certain circles, having spent the prior campaign on loan in the Eredivisie with Vitesse Arnhem, where he had accumulated 14 goals and 10 assists across all competitions.

But Derby fans will never forget the impact he had at Pride Park, even with what he’s gone on to achieve elsewhere.

The midfielder contributed eight goals and four assists from 35 appearances in the Championship, and was crucial to the team reaching the play-off final.

Three of those goals came as a hat-trick in a standout display against Bolton Wanderers late in the season, which really highlighted his impressive potential in front of goal.

He also scored in the dramatic play-off victory over Leeds United, which was the high point of the year for the club.

A 4-2 victory in the second leg of their semi-final overturned a 1-0 deficit from the first leg, and it was Mount’s goal that made it 2-2 on aggregate at Elland Road.

Derby supporters will rue that he was only a loan addition, as he’s someone they would’ve loved to have kept in the side.

But his exploits with Chelsea in subsequent seasons, as well as the England national team, highlight how that was always an unrealistic hope for the club, especially once Lampard himself made the move to Stamford Bridge.

The now 26-year-old has had a tough couple of years due to injury, but one shouldn’t forget the level he reached when he was at his best.

Mount played 105 times in the Premier League from 2019 to 2022, contributing 24 goals and 20 assists in that time, becoming a standout player in the division immediately upon his return to Stamford Bridge.

John Eustace would love a Mason Mount quality player at Derby County

Eustace had a busy summer of his own at Derby this year, with the latest market being his first chance to make a mark on the first team squad at Pride Park.

In particular, a number of attacking options were signed to bolster the danger they can pose in the final third.

But nobody in the Derby squad quite has the Premier League quality that Mount possessed in the summer of 2018.

Only Jerry Yates managed as many or more goal contributions in 2024/25 as the Chelsea loanee did during his time at Derby, and that’s with him playing as a number nine instead of as an attacking midfielder.

Having that kind of extra firepower from deeper will be crucial for Eustace’s side being successful in the long run.

That is the kind of factor that can be a huge difference-maker in the battle for a top six finish, and is the kind of move that could power Eustace’s side up the table.

The Rams have a good chance of improving on their 19th place finish from their first year back in the Championship.