Mudryk breaks silence after slow Chelsea start

Stuart Telford

• 2 Mar 2023 03:16 CST
• 3 min read

Mykhailo Mudryk has cut a frustrated figure since his €100 million move from Shakhtar Donetsk to Chelsea in the January transfer window.

Mudryk had been strongly linked with Arsenal since last summer, and his behaviour on social media made plain that he fancied a move to the Emirates.

But Chelsea gazumped Arsenal at the last minute, agreeing to pay Shakhtar €70m up front with a further €30m to follow in add-ons - a figure the Gunners couldn't match.

READ: Arsenal were 'in love' with Mudryk - Shakhtar reveal 'simple' truth why they missed out

Since rocking up in West London instead of North, Mudryk has looked like a shell of the player who lit up the Champions League in the first half of this season, and he is yet to contribute a goal or assist in six outings.

"Unfortunately, at Chelsea now he's not in a good mood," Shakhtar sporting director Dario Srna told the Football Ramble Podcast. "But he has all the qualities to be one of the best players in the Premier League in the next couple of years."

With Mudryk form and Srna's words swirling, fans have been quick to believe the winger, nicknamed the "Ukrainian Neymar" by fans back home, feels he made the wrong move.

READ: 'He's at 35%' - Mudryk one of Europe's three best, Shakhtar tell Chelsea

Mudryk's simple answer

So one of them simply asked him. Instagram user @yugiizman commented, "Hello @mmudryk10 are you happy with Chelsea now?" under a Blues post following their 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last Sunday.

Mudryk quickly responded with a simple "Yes."

Mudryk hasn't been alone in underperforming at Stamford Bridge this season. Head coach Graham Potter only has a win ratio of 35 per cent while their top scorer in the Premmier League, Kai Havertz, only has five goals.

Mudryk signed a seven-and-a-half-year contract when he joined in January - part of a Chelsea ploy to satisfy UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations - so the chances of him going anywhere before he has a chance to prove himself would appear to be slim.