January’s biggest transfer saga came after Mykhailo Mudryk snubbed a move to Arsenal in favour of London rivals Chelsea.
The former Shakhtar Donetsk winger was a long-term target for Mikel Arteta but after failing to get a deal across the line, the Gunners lost out to Todd Boehly’s Blues, who signed the Ukraine international on an eight-and-a-half-year deal for a whopping €100m.
Mykhaylo Mudryk to Chelsea, here we go! Documents are being exchanged between Chelsea and Shakhtar. Deal will cost €100m package as Ukrainian club always wanted. ?? #CFC
Mudryk, arriving in London tonight.
Medical tests booked on Sunday then he will sign contract until 2030. pic.twitter.com/mVxODeLYqn
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 14, 2023
Speaking about Mudryk’s sky-high potential, former Aston Villa and Liverpool attacker Stan Collymore has revealed how several clubs are expecting the 22-year-old to one day win the prestigious Ballon d’Or trophy.
“As for Mudryk’s potential, teams, not just Chelsea, have high expectations for the lad,” Collymore said in an exclusive interview.
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“There are other clubs who believe he is a future Ballon d’Or winner so he’s clearly very, very highly rated.
“I’m not going to predict Mudryk’s future and say he’s going to win the Ballon d’Or, it’s way too early for any of that – but he is a good player. He’s direct, he’s got outrageous pace, very confident, he can weigh in with goals and he can beat defenders before putting in good crosses.”
Going on to suggest the talented wide-attacker has the potential to develop in a similar way that five-time Champions League-winner Gareth Bale did at Spurs, Collymore drew comparisons between Mudryk and Wales’ recently retired footballing legend.
“I think he’ll get physically bigger and stronger as he develops at Chelsea similar to how Gareth Bale developed at Spurs,” he added.
“Both left-wingers, both have that ability to blast past opposition players so if there was a comparison to be made, I think Mudryk could replicate the type of player Bale was.”
Prior to joining Chelsea last weekend, Mudryk, who already has eight senior international caps to his name, featured in 44 matches, in all competitions, for Shakhtar’s first team, and directly contributed to an impressive 29 goals.