TV personality and Arsenal fan Piers Morgan has expressed his disappointment over the Gunners missing out on Mykhaylo Mudryk and brought up Russian president Vladimir Putin when speaking about Chelsea’s new signing.
Mudryk’s home country of Ukraine has been at war with Russia since February after Putin ordered an invasion of the Eastern European country, which resulted in former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich having to sell the Premier League club due to his close ties to the Russian president.
Over the course of the Blues’ poor recent run of form, Chelsea fans could be heard singing Abramovich’s name, and Piers Morgan is surprised that was not factored into Muydryk’s decision when joining the West London club.
Morgan said on Twitter: “My final thought on Mudryk is that it’s a tad surprising to watch a Ukrainian player flirt so enthusiastically with Arsenal and then opt at the last minute for a club whose fans continue to chant support for one of Putin’s best mates.”
My final thought on Mudryk is that it’s a tad surprising to watch a Ukrainian player flirt so enthusiastically with Arsenal and then opt at the last minute for a club whose fans continue to chant support for one of Putin’s best mates.
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 15, 2023
Morgan brings up a fair point but is likely disappointed after it was almost certain that the Ukraine winger would be joining Arsenal before Chelsea stepped in and hijacked the deal.
The North London club submitted a new bid for Mudryk this week which is believed to be €70m plus add-ons, according to Fabrizio Romano, and were in discussions over the add-ons package before Chelsea made their move.
On Saturday, the Blues hierarchy offered Shakhtar more favourable terms and out of nowhere the €100m deal was complete – €70m (£62m) paid up front and €30m (£26.5m) in add-ons – before the winger was announced on Sunday afternoon.