Why Chelsea are to blame for Mudryk's transfer value decrease
Cameron Smith
- Updated: 11 Dec 2023 14:21 GMT
- 4 min read
Mykhailo Mudryk has scored two goals in 32 Chelsea games and for a player who cost an initial €70 million, that’s not quite good enough.
His tally of three assists in a Blues shirt isn’t particularly impressive either and he’s flattered to deceive in most of his 32 appearances for the club.
The Ukrainian spurned two glorious first-half chances in Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat away at Manchester United and despite a woeful team performance, Mauricio Pochettino’s side may have escaped from Old Trafford with at least a point if Mudryk had been more clinical.
To his credit, the former Shakhtar Donetsk star was one of very few positives during the Blues’ 2-0 loss against Everton on Sunday; no player on the pitch bettered his five key passes or his five completed dribbles.
For comparison, Jack Harrison was second-best in both departments, with two key passes and three dribbles.
That performance against Everton was a glimpse of what Mudryk can do, but he needs the help of his team-mates (several good opportunities he created were missed) and he must perform at that level on a far more consistent basis - ideally in every match.
But, that simply hasn’t happened since he joined Chelsea in January 2023.
In fact, almost every new signing has failed to live up to expectations at Stamford Bridge since Todd Boehly became the club’s owner in 2022. Many, if not all, have exceptionally-high levels of talent, but it’s not being maximised.
The squad-building process in west London has been fairly naive, considering the reluctance to sign players over the age of 25 and the ludicrous number of players currently on Chelsea’s books.
What a finish from Mykhailo Mudryk! 💥 pic.twitter.com/75MgZTiqAP
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 2, 2023
Stars such as Noni Madueke and Lesley Ugochukwu have barely featured since joining the club and their development has arguably taken a step backwards as a result.
Chelsea have a clear project in mind, but it’s extremely difficult to develop as many as 15 young players at the same time, and the club’s results in 2023 prove that.
Mudryk’s transfer value has decreased since joining Chelsea
While Mudryk has now been rewarded with a regular run of games in the starting XI, his progress has been stunted since joining Chelsea and he is a shadow of the electric winger who tore apart the Champions League group stages for Shakhtar Donetsk.
Arsenal wanted him after his performances in Europe last season, but Chelsea won the race and have unfortunately seen his value decrease since his move.
The Blues paid an initial €70m to sign Mudryk - a fee way above his value at the time - and that price continues to look like a massive overpay.
Furthermore, the Ukranian’s value has dropped since he joined Chelsea. As per FootballTransfers’ in-house Player Valuation Model, Mudryk had an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €30m in January 2023 - the month in which he signed for the Blues.
In December 2023, almost one year later, his ETV now stands at €26.9m. His lack of progression on the pitch has resulted in a value decrease, despite the huge contract he is currently on at Stamford Bridge.
Mudryk’s value peaked at €43.3m in March, but it has slowly fallen since then, which is a huge problem for Chelsea if they ever want to sell him and shows that juggling an inexperienced squad full of players who need minutes is not a good idea.
