Arteta and Edu were ‘utterly convinced’ £86m flop could have solved key Arsenal issue

Add as preferred source on Google

Arsenal were heavily linked with Mykhaylo Mudryk before his move to Chelsea last year, which has proven to be a disaster.

The Gunners were heavily keen on signing the winger from Shakhtar Donetsk, and were willing to match Chelsea’s £86m offer, but on different payment terms, before he then moved to West London.

Mudryk’s time at Stamford Bridge has been a nightmare so far, with the 23-year-old scoring just four times in 43 appearances.

Arsenal signed Leandro Trossard instead, who has proven to be a hit at a fraction of the cost, but Mikel Arteta may still look to sign a winger in the summer to add more speed to his attack, an issue which Mudryk could perhaps have solved.

Mikel Arteta was heavily keen on Mykhaylo Mudryk

The Athletic have now reported that despite his struggles at Chelsea, Mudryk still has admirers at Arsenal, and that Arteta and Edu Gaspar had no doubts that he could have succeeded at the Emirates.

“Technical director Edu and Arteta were utterly convinced of Mudryk’s talent. They believed he could provide them with a third flying winger to complement Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka,” a report from James McNicholas stated.

Mudryk’s struggles at Chelsea may have been as a result of his failed move to Arsenal, which he was seemingly keen on, and the sudden nature of the deal being agreed with Chelsea, and his move to Arteta’s side falling through, could have negatively affected him.

“Mudryk did not hide his preferred destination. When the deal did not materialise, Arsenal’s understanding was that the player was devastated,” the report added.

Should Arsenal try to sign Mykhaylo Mudryk now?

If there is a chance that Chelsea may aim to cut their losses on Mudryk in the summer, the question will naturally be raised about whether Arsenal should aim to land him now.

Arsenal are in the market for a winger, with Pedro Neto linked. Despite Trossard’s success overall, there is a lack of pace available to Arteta beyond Gabriel Martinelli.

Mudryk would certainly add a lot of speed to the squad, but this is perhaps a deal that is better left avoided. Even if Chelsea were open to a sale, he would not come cheaply, and rather than an explosive young talent, Arsenal would be signing a player who has struggled massively since moving to the Premier League.

Arsenal have also been linked with Nico Williams of Athletic Bilbao, who has a £43m release clause. The 21-year-old is in much better form than Mudryk, and would likely be a better, and lower risk signing, than the player who nearly joined over a year ago.