Considered one of Chelsea’s most costly signings has been labelled a ‘disaster’ – and in one other world he could have joined Arsenal.
Chelsea saw off fierce competition from London rivals Arsenal once they signed Mykhailo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2023.
Mudryk only made 44 appearances for the Ukrainian side but impressed enough to earn a £62m move to Stamford Bridge, plus an extra £27m in bonuses.
A 22-year-old Mudryk signed a staggering eight-and-a-half yr contract at Chelsea but time is already running out for the winger to avoid wasting his Premier League profession.
Mudryk earned rave reviews for his shiny cameo against Liverpool on his Chelsea debut, with Rio Ferdinand saying on the time that Arsenal could live to regret not bringing him to the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners were confident of signing Mudryk in the summertime of 2023, particularly after the Ukraine international hinted he was keen on the move in a series of cryptic social media posts.
But Chelsea hijacked the move and agreed a late take care of Shakhtar Donetsk, with Mudryk reportedly left ‘devastated’ that a dream move to Arsenal fell through.
Much was expected from one of the expensive signings in Premier League history but Mudryk has flopped at Chelsea, scoring just ten goals over the past three seasons.
Mudryk has not even featured for the Blues because the end of November as he was provisionally suspended by the FA after testing positive for a banned substance.
Ex-Premier League winger Gabriel Agbonlahor has labelled Mudryk a ‘disaster of a signing’ but says the Ukrainian is just certainly one of several big-money flops at Stamford Bridge.
‘Take a look at some players they paid big money for they usually’re just not performing,’ Agbonlahor told talkSPORT.
‘Neto didn’t attempt to take his man on against Brighton. He got here in for big-money. Madueke might be good one week, poor the following. Fernandez getting bullied in midfield.
‘There’s a scarcity of leadership and a scarcity of quality as well to be honest. It’s scary what they’ve spent and wasted.
‘Badiashile was £35m, we’ve not seen him play. Mudryk was a disaster of a signing. Enzo, Neto and Nkunku were all expensive. They spent £45m on Felix after which send him out on loan.
‘Take a look at the amount of cash they’ve wasted.’
Agbonlahor’s criticism comes amid Chelsea’s worrying slump, which has seen Enzo Maresca’s side slip from second to sixth within the Premier League within the space of two months.
The Blues had the possibility to go top in mid-December but now face a fight simply to qualify for the Champions League.
Chelsea’s latest defeat got here by the hands of Brighton, who actually beat the west London outfit twice within the space of six days, and Maresca admitted the second was ‘probably’ their worst performance since he took over last summer.
‘Probably since I arrived that’s the worst performance, especially within the moment we’re in,’ Maresca said.
‘We’re fourth within the league and winning tonight you possibly can go one point from third and make the gap to the remaining larger and the performance just isn’t one you wish to offer so we’re very upset and sorry for the fans that were here.
‘That is the worst moment since I arrived but we’re still there and we want to complete in the easiest way.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the most recent news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
MORE: Rio Ferdinand says Mikel Arteta mistake cost Arsenal within the Premier League title race
MORE: Rio Ferdinand names the one team he expects Man Utd to beat amid relegation fears
MORE: Darren Bent says just one thing could stop Liverpool winning the Premier League
