Mykhaylo Mudryk is struggling at Chelsea and Ukraine coach Ruslan Rotan believes the former Shakhtar Donetsk winger would have been better off at Premier League leaders Arsenal, speaking to TaToTake.
The statistics do not make for pretty viewing.
Graham Potter’s side have not won any of the six games Mudryk has featured in following that £88 million January arrival. Since dropping him to the bench, Chelsea have triumphed over both Leeds United and Borussia Dortmund.
Coincidence or not, this all plays into a wider narrative regarding a man who joined for a colossal price and amid lofty expectations; Mudryk putting pen to paper with a Chelsea side in transition despite spending much of the last six months fluttering his eyelashes shamelessly in Arsenal’s direction.
And Rotan is wondering if that is a decision he may come to regret.
Mykhaylo Mudryk joined Chelsea after Arsenal failed with a £62m bid
“The amount for which he was bought plays a big role,” says Ruslan; Ukraine’s interim head coach backing Mudryk to bounce back.
“There will be criticism from the press. But each of his goals will extinguish this criticism. He just needs to be calm about all this and do his job.”
Darijo Srna, Shakhtar Donetsk’s sporting director, admits in conversation with the Football Ramble that Arsenal were ‘in love’ with the jet-heeled winger. Chelsea’s interest, however, was more ‘concrete’; the cash-splashing Todd Boehly submitting an eye-watering bid their London rivals simply could not match.
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Rotan, however, believes Mudryk’s development would have been better served joining a man who has turned Arsenal from perennial also-rans into Premier League favourites. The Gunners are top; nine places in 29 points better off than Chelsea.
“You all see that he works and wants to develop. (Mudryk) will get over it all,” Rotan adds. “I think it would be better if he joined Arteta.”
Arsenal, per Fabrizio Romano, offered £62 million for the 22-year-old forward. Rotan, meanwhile, is not the only one who believes Mudryk would have suited red more than blue.
“(Chelsea) is a club that has been changing recently,” says former Shakhtar coach Andreas Carrasco.
“But it is good for Mudryk to be in a club that always expects maximum results. Now, he needs to go through a period of adaptation. And only time will tell if it was the right decision for him or not.”
“Today, Arsenal, with their style of play, could be more suitable for Mudryk, who successfully uses dribbling and plays one-v-one. It would be better for him, in my opinion (to have joined Arsenal).”
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