I have to say. I am SO glad we didn't sign Mudryk and Chelsea decided to hijack that deal ahead of us.
Maybe he's struggling with the relentless changes all the time; maybe it's the lack of playing time; maybe it's the lack of stability - who knows? But each time I watch him, he seems so far off it as a footballer at the elite level. And whilst I know cohesive environments and good coaching make a huge difference to maximising a player's potential, I'm just not sure what Arsenal saw in Mudryk that had us ready to spend over £55m on the Ukrainian. Looks as if we dodged a huge bullet. Especially as our second choice, Trossard, has been superb and was only £26m instead. That deal seems like an absolute bargain in comparison.
Mudryk seems to lack the basic fundamentals. Doesn't know when to press, doesn't know when to pass, doesn't know when to combine or take a player on, doesn't know how to retain possession. He's not great at shooting, he can't really operate in tight spaces, he can't cross that well and he's not great at either cutting inside or taking players down the byline to create chances/space for others. All he has is speed and occasionally some skills, but that's it. Not much footballing intelligence there.
If a team doesn't give him acres of space to run into or if defenders constantly back off him when he's got possession (Most PL teams don't give you that luxury), what purpose does he serve?
You'd think that if he has another poor season, Chelsea will need to cut their losses. Baring in mind this guy was being spoken about as a potential Ballon D'Or winner and someone who could be as good as Eden Hazard...
Never mind. Just the 7 years left on his deal to go...