Derby County have completed deals to bring exciting attacking duo Mason Mount and Harry Wilson to Pride Park Stadium on season-long loan deals.
The pair join from Chelsea and Liverpool respectively and become Frank Lampard’s first signings since he was confirmed as the Rams’ boss, enhancing his options in the final third ahead of the 2018/19 Sky Bet Championship campaign.
Mount, the star player as England’s Under-19s lifted the European Championship title in 2017, arrives after a stunning loan spell with Eredivisie side Vitesse Arnhem last season, during which he scored 14 goals and assisted another nine to be crowned as the Dutch outfit’s Player of the Year.
Part of the Chelsea Academy since the age of six, the 19-year-old playmaker was a regular for both Jody Morris’ Under-18s and Joe Edwards’ Under-21s during the 2016/17 campaign – scoring 10 goals from 39 appearances en route to being named as the Blues’ Academy Player of the Year.
He also captained Chelsea’s Under-18s to a fourth successive FA Youth Cup title, the Under-18 Premier League title, the Under-19s to the UEFA Youth League and as well as being nominated for the Premier League 2 Player of the Season award after missing just one PL2 Division 1 fixture.
Speaking to dcfc.co.uk, Lampard said: “I’m delighted to get both of these deals done and add players of their quality and calibre to the squad.
“I know Mason really well from my Chelsea links and I have also watched him play in their very successful youth teams.
“I knew him from those days and I watched him closely at Vitesse, where he took it by storm.
“His numbers are incredible for an attacking midfield player of his age and it’s a massive coup for me to get him here.
“He can bring us creativity in the attacking midfield area, goals, assists as well as energy. He was wanted across Europe by top, top, clubs and we should be very happy that we have got him.”
Lampard added: “The thing about Mason is it’s not just on the pitch. He’s so dedicated and hungry off it too.
“He wants to do well, and he wants to improve. This is a real stage to develop for him and to go out and play at a really competitive level with us. His character and quality are going to be huge for us.”
Wilson is described as a player with bags of pace, a great touch, ability and acceleration with the ball at his feet and arrives at Pride Park off the back of a blistering loan spell with Hull City last campaign.
The wideman scored seven times in 13 Championship matches as the Tigers retained their second-tier status last season, with his performances leading to him becoming hot property in this summer’s window.
Wilson has been on the books of Liverpool since the age of nine and has risen through the ranks to play for the senior team – with Jurgen Klopp handing him his first team bow in January of last year in the Emirates FA Cup.
The Rams’ latest recruit holds the record for being the youngest player to ever represent the Wales national team, at 16 years and 208 days old. Wilson scored his first goal for the Red Dragons in March of this year, Ryan Giggs’ first game in charge, as he found the back of the net in the 6-0 win over China.
Speaking about Wilson’s arrival, Lampard also said: “Harry brings incredible quality and hunger to the table here and he showed that last year while he was on loan at Hull. He’s a full international too and he has a real desire to come here and improve.
“He’s going to be a crucial player for us. I keep talking about creativity and the importance of trying to excite the fans and he’s the sort of player that can do that with the quality that he has.
“For himself too, to have a year at this level and feel an important player at an important club, that will be important.
“Hopefully it’s a great platform for him, but on a selfish note, we have got ourselves a real quality player.”
Find out more about Mason Mount by clicking here, whilst you can also read more on Harry Wilson by clicking here.