Arsenal already know their first January transfer
FT Desk
- 10 Sept 2022 16:43 BST
- 3 min read
Arsenal may be top of the Premier League after an impressive summer transfer window, but the next arrival at the Emirates has already been lined up.
The Gunners are set to go back in for "Ukrainian Neymar" Mykhaylo Mudryk, after failing to sign the 21-year-old Shakhtar Donetsk man in the most recent transfer period.
Arsenal spent well this summer, picking up Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from champions Manchester City for a combined £77m/€88m, with Fabio Vieira, Matt Turner and Marquinhos also arriving.
Mykhaylo Mudryk has been linked with a move to the Premier League. Check out these highlights from the 21-year-old Ukrainian 🔥 pic.twitter.com/F7M1i0qnWf
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) June 2, 2022
Perhaps more importantly, Mike Arteta got some dead wood out of his squad, with Alexandre Lacazette and Hector Bellerin leaving on free transfers to Lyon and Barcelona respectively while Nicolas Pepe joined Nice on loan.
Pepe underwhelmed following his €79 million arrival from Lille in 2019, but his departure still made Arteta's need for another winger more pronounced. Mudryk was a planned transfer but an injury crisis in central midfield forced them to pursue other targets at the end of the window.
Arteta: 'We'll try'
"If we can implement the plan that we have, we'll try to do that [sign Mudryk]," Arteta said recently.
"In the plan, [Pepe's loan move] was something that could happen - now it's a reality and we've been preparing the last two months in order to achieve what we want.
"Whether that's possible or not, we'll see."
Mudryk certainly wants the move to happen.
"It's hard to say but Arsenal is a very good team with a very good coach," he said when asked about the move that wasn't this summer.
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"I like the way they play. Yes, from my side, I can't say no but the transfer isn't only my decision and my word.
"In winter we'll see. There was a lot of discussion about the transfer and the collapse and who wants me but its normal. Now I'm in Shakhtar and I want to play in this team."
Mudryk had two goals and nine assists at a rate of one every 79 minutes last season, and already has four goal involvements from just four games this term.
