Arteta: Outbidding Chelsea for Mudryk would have 'damaged' Arsenal

Suraj Radia

• 15 Mar 2023 13:30 CDT
• 2 min read

Mikel Arteta has hinted that Arsenal would have ‘damaged’ themselves if they had paid the money to bring Mykhailo Mudryk to the club in January before he joined Chelsea.

The Gunners were considered in pole position to sign Mudryk for most of the season but their transfer was hijacked by Chelsea, who offered a more attractive package to Shakhtar and brought the Ukrainian to Stamford Bridge under the noses of Arsenal.

Both clubs were understood to have submitted offers of up to €100 million for Mudryk but Shakhtar opted for Chelsea’s offer, which is thought to have offered more up front as well as more appealing add-ons.

BATTLES: Mudryk and the stars Chelsea and Arsenal have fought over

Arsenal also missed out on Moises Caicedo after Brighton turned down their £70m offer but Arteta was unphased by the failure to secure their top targets, insisting the club would spend when it ‘made sense’.

"When it is necessary for the right profile of players and we can afford it, it will make sense,” Arteta told ESPN. "But only if it is the right profile, the right price and we can afford it without damaging ourselves.

“That's a really, really thin line and I think we have to have a lot of discipline as well."

Arsenal’s pragmatism paying off in the long-run

Arsenal have been vindicated in their long-term thinking for the club, having also missed out on their top targets last January when Dusan Vlahovic opted to join Juventus over the Gunners.

The Premier League side chose not to sign an alternative, instead waiting until the summer to sign Gabriel Jesus, a player who revolutionised Arteta’s attack before suffering an injury at the World Cup.

THANKS CHELSEA!: Blues push Arsenal to PL title by signing Mudryk

With Arsenal pushing for the title this season, the league leaders still signed Leandro Trossard and Jorginho in January despite their primary options going elsewhere but the deals represented good value for the club.

Mudryk has yet to justify his huge outlay from Chelsea, only getting his first goal contribution in his seventh game, indicating that Arsenal were perhaps justified in moving for Trossard instead of going the extra mile to sign the 22-year-old considering the need for an instant impact.

Arsenal will continue to spend big in the summer and the midfield is thought to be a priority, with a renewed chase for Caicedo expected as well as a move for West Ham’s Declan Rice.