Chelsea allowed one of their longest-serving players to depart earlier this month as the club sanctioned the sale of central midfielder Mason Mount.
The England international came up through the academy set-up and made 195 first-team appearances for the Blues between 2019 and 2023.
He seemingly decided that this summer was the right time for him to move on from Stamford Bridge as a £55m switch to Manchester United was recently completed.
What has happened to Mason Mount?
The 24-year-old suffered from a dip in form as his performances during the 2022/23 campaign did not live up to the standards of his previous season in Chelsea colours.
Mount averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.05 across 24 Premier League outings last term, which placed him outside of the club's top five performers. He only contributed with three goals along with two assists.
That was a far cry from his performance throughout 2021/22, where in 32 matches, he plundered 11 goals and ten assists from midfield.
These statistics show that the mercurial midfielder was an outstanding performer in the Premier League, with his ability to score and create goals on a regular basis, prior to his recent struggles.
Mauricio Pochettino could now land a dream replacement for the 2021/22 version of Mount by securing the signing of reported €40m (£34m) transfer target Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
How good is Sergej Milinkovic-Savic?
The Lazio star's Serie A displays in recent years suggest that he is an exceptional midfielder with the quality to provide the goals and assists that the now-Red Devils ace used to for Chelsea.
Milinkovic-Savic racked up nine goals along with eight assists in 34 league starts last term, which came after an impressive return of 11 of each in 36 starts during the prior campaign.
These statistics show that the 28-year-old machine, who was once described as a "different beast" by journalist Sacha Pisani, has the quality to deliver Mount-esque numbers from a number eight or ten role.
In fact, the Serbia international ranks among the top 1% of players in his position across the Men's Big Five Leagues and European competitions over the last 365 days for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.30).
He is also within the top 9% of central midfielders for expected assisted goals per 90 (0.20) during that period, which means that the Spanish-born dynamo is capable of creating top-quality chances for his teammates on a regular basis from a midfield position.
Therefore, the "underrated" – as he was dubbed by Fabrizio Romano – magician is one of the best midfielders at the top level when it comes to making an impact at the top end of the pitch, by scoring and creating goals.
Milinkovic-Savic has the ability to replicate the form that Mount displayed during the 2021/22 campaign and could be Pochettino's star attacking threat from the middle of the park if he can translate his form over to the Premier League next season.
Considering the Blues only scored a goal a game in the league throughout the last year, sourcing a replacement for Mount is crucial.