Chelsea continued their shopping spree during the January transfer window by signing Mykhailo Mudryk to the club. Boardroom breaks it all down.
Chelsea has signed David Datro Fofana, Benoît Badiashile, and now Mykhailo Mudryk within two weeks. So far, the Premier League‘s January transfer window has become the lottery for the West Londoners, who are hijacking every young, promising player on the market from the top European clubs.
The Blues announced that Mudryk, who recently played for Ukrainian soccer club Shakhtar Donetsk, has signed with the club in a mega-money deal that includes $72.42 million upfront and another $31.04 million in add-ons. Several reports have indicated that personal terms have been agreed upon between the club and the 22-year-old winger, with the contract set to last through June 2030.
Overall, Mudryk’s blockbuster deal will dent at least $108 million in the Blues’ transfer pot. Yet, with five players through the door this January, the club continues to be liked with heavy-hitting prospects.
Since chairperson Todd Boehly took over last May, Chelsea has spent over a jaw-dropping $529.28 million, including potential add-ons in transfers across fourteen new players. Except for veteran striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, each player brought into the new regime fit the profile of versatile, promising youth on long-term deals.
Generally speaking, the Stamford Bridge club has done a great job of buying youth and slotting them into familiar positions. If given the proper minutes to shine, Chelsea can determine if Mudryk can produce in a big way, coming from being relatively untested in an inferior league.
Subscribe for the biggest stories in the business of sports and entertainment, daily.
Mykhailo Mudryk Chelsea Transfer Details
Deal agreed on: Jan. 14, 2023
Reported years: 7
Reported transfer fee: $103,460,000
Mudryk’s estimated market value: $40,000,000 via Transfermarkt
Mykhailo Mudryk Stats Per 90
| Category | Stat Per 90 | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 0.52 | 99 |
| Assists | 0.35 | 98 |
| Goal-Creating Actions | 0.70 | 98 |
| Dribbles Completed | 1.74 | 97 |
| Touches in Attacking Areas | 2.79 | 94 |
How Mudryk Fits at Chelsea
Despite the enormous number of signings from last summer to now, manager Graham Potter has struggled to produce goals. The good news? Potter is backed with enough cash to continue getting players who can play to his attacking philosophies through the door. The bad news? The blues have struggled with the health of important offensive and defensive players. Halfway through the season, Chelsea’s attack has faced injuries from Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic. Making matters worse, brand-new loanee Joao Felix further depleted the attacking options in his first appearance with the club by earning a three-match suspension.
With a weakened offensive line, Mudryk will have all the space and opportunity to play the style of soccer at Stamford Bridge that got him on the club’s radar, to begin with. Despite playing in the Ukrainian Premier League, the pacy winger made his presence felt in the champion’s league. Through six matches in this year’s UEFA Champions League, Mudryk has already netted three goals and two assists against credible competitors in Celtic FC and RB Leipzig. In the Ukrainian Premier League, he’s scored seven goals and six assists, earning second-place holdings in the league’s table.
Mudryk primarily plays as a left-winger and left-attacking midfielder, which Mason Mount and Pulisic currently occupy. Yet, his passion for versatility intrigues the Blues mostly about their new signing. On record, Mudryk believes that he can slowly transform into the striker position, sighting Cristiano Ronaldo as inspiration, which is Chelsea’s current most hollow position.
Whether on the left or up top, the right-footed goat threat thrives at dribbling hard at opponents, cutting inside the box, and blasting hard shots on goal. He’ll have a chance to slot into Chelsea’s famous 3-4-3-1 formation and newly found 4-3-3 and link with other pacy players like Hakim Ziyech, who like to make hard runs off the ball, opening channels for every attacker to be effective.
Regardless of where Potter slots Mudryk into the system, he’s a consistent goal threat in the final third of the field. For Chelsea’s sake, hopefully, Mudryk will develop the skills to score goals as a primary striker for years to come.
Read More:
- Inside the NBA’s Strategic Bet on Content Creators
- Election 2024: How the NBA, NFL, Other Sports Leagues are Rocking the Vote
- Dylan Harper: First to Fly with Red Bull
- JuJu Watkins: A Breath of Fresh Air
- The Rise of AI and Robotics in Cinema
Subscribe for the biggest stories in the business of sports and entertainment, daily.
