Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk was reportedly in tears in a phone call with Arsenal as he tried to convince them to do something to prevent his transfer to the Emirates Stadium falling through.
Mudryk was really wanted by Arsenal just over a year ago after impressing at Shakhtar Donetsk, but the Ukraine international ended up moving to Chelsea instead, with the deal looking too expensive for the Gunners.
Arsenal won’t be too bothered now as their former target has struggled during his time at Stamford Bridge, while they instead signed Leandro Trossard from Brighton, with the Belgian forward really impressing for Mikel Arteta’s side, even if he’s not always been an automatic starter.
Mudryk cried over failed Arsenal transfer
See below as it’s claimed Mudryk was clearly devastated about not being able to join Arsenal last January, which perhaps explains why he’s not quite looked the same player since swapping Shakhtar for Chelsea…
??| Mykhailo Mudryk was in tears on the phone to Arsenal asking them to do something as he was on his way to the airport following his collapsed transfer to Arsenal.
[@Teamnewsandtix x @TheAthleticFC] pic.twitter.com/nzppJltsiU
— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) February 28, 2024
We often forget that footballers are human too, and it seems clear that Mudryk had his heart set on joining Arsenal despite ending up at Chelsea.
This must have been difficult for him, and one can only hope that the 23-year-old can get back to enjoying his football again soon.
Some stability at Chelsea would surely help that, with Mudryk already playing under three different managers in west London, while there’s also been a huge turnover of players, with big signings and a number of high-profile exits leaving the squad feeling a little unsettled.
Mudryk may well have found it easier at Arsenal, where Arteta has built a really coherent squad that seem to be united behind the club’s project.
Before last January’s transfer saga, Mudryk often posted hints on social media about how much he liked Arsenal, so perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised at how much this meant to him.