Mudryk 2.0! Chelsea risk repeating huge mistake with Adeyemi

Tom Weber

• Updated: 9 Jul 2024 12:19 BST
• 4 min read

Chelsea are interested in Karim Adeyemi.

The Borussia Dortmund winger will be allowed to leave at the right price this summer. Chelsea have the player on their shortlist, though Sky Germany reports that their interest is not as advanced as some have asserted.

Claims that Chelsea are set to launch a €30 million bid are described as wide off the mark, yet the fact that Adeyemi is a player that interests the Blues is intriguing - and potentially concerning.

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Chelsea have been prolific in this still-nascent transfer window and, while it seems that they are still far from actively pursuing the German, supporters should be wary of getting too excited about the prospect of Adeyemi turning up at Stamford Bridge.

The truth is that the 22-year-old has struggled to live up to his significant potential.

Adeyemi underwhelms at Dortmund

Though still a young player, there is a very good reason why Dortmund are open to cashing in on him. Once one of the biggest prospects in the German talent pool, Adeyemi has been unable to consistently perform at a high level in the Bundesliga.

Of course, the winger has his upsides. In the Champions League, he terrified PSG with his blistering pace and he is still the German top flight's fastest-ever player, clocking in at 36.65 km/h (22.77 mph) against Freiburg in 2022/23.

Unfortunately, this is pretty much the only area of the game in which Adeyemi has excelled. The winger has shown himself to be unable to offer a consistent goal threat and his chance creation and ability to beat opponents by means other than raw speed have left a lot to be desired.

Compared

Karim Adeyemi

M (RL), AM (L)

Dortmund

Karim Adeyemi

M (RL), AM (L)

Dortmund

VS

M. Mudryk

M, AM (L)

Chelsea

M. Mudryk

M, AM (L)

Chelsea

2023/2024

Season Statistics

2023/2024

34	Appearances	41
5	Goals	7
2	Assists	2

READ MORE: Chelsea target 'perfectly content' with transfer situation

It is not that Adeyemi is an uncreative player. On the contrary, he regularly tries to do the right thing, the problem is just that too often his touch deserts him and thus the execution fails.

In a way, he is very reminiscent of Mykhailo Mudryk. The Chelsea attack, too, evidently has bags of talent and the athletic profile to excel at the highest level. However, the €70 million man has also yet to actually impress at Stamford Bridge.

Data experts SciSports believe that Adeyemi still has more potential than Mudryk and could yet become a very good winger, but the eye test suggests that Chelsea would be taking a massive risk by pursuing the German. Even at 'just' €30m, Adeyemi could be Chelsea's Mudryk 2.0.