Maresca won't want to keep the player around in the short termplaceholder image
Maresca won't want to keep the player around in the short term | AFP via Getty Images
Chelsea are said to be set to receive an ideal opportunity to offload a player they won’t want around for the second half of the season.
Chelsea are now being tipped to temporarily offload one of their biggest flopped signings in history to date. The Blues have spent big over recent years, and while their recruitment approach is now largely young-player based, with a more sensible strategy taking hold over the last 18 months, they had a very different approach to recruitment when Todd Boehly and his partners first arrived to take ownership of the club.
In the early days, Chelsea spent big to procure top talents, and they often outbid rivals by some way to get deals done.
In 2023, Chelsea spent £62million upfront to sign Mykhailo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk, and they agreed a further £27million in potential add-ons. The Ukrainian never really lived up to that fee, scoring and and assisting 11 in 73 games across all competitions, and things only got worse.
Last December, Mudryk was suspended over alleged use of a banned substance, and he has not played since. The winger has maintained his innocence, but he remains suspended, facing a potential four-year ban if he is found to have knowingly taken a performance-enhancing substance.
There has been speculation that the issues stems from an injection given to him by a team doctor while on international duty with Ukraine, which suggests he personally had no knowledge of the substance entering his body, but that claim is unconfirmed and we will have to wait until the hearings take place to see what conclusion is reached.
There is a possibility that Mudryk will play under appeal before a conclusion is reached, though, and reports in Spain have suggested that the winger could be eligible to play again as soon as January 17. JM Villalba and Canal Sur Radio have reported that scenario, and they say Sevilla are interested in a loan deal should that come to pass.
Mudryk is going to have to work his way back into Chelsea contention, especially after so long without competitive football, and a loan deal is almost certain should he be cleared to play.
Sevilla are just below mid-table in La Liga as things stand, and they are said to be interested in boosting their attack by taking a chance on the Ukraine international. That could be an ideal scenario for Chelsea, who will want him to play football elsewhere for the time being.
What Chelsea have said
In December of last year, a Chelsea statement read: “Chelsea Football Club can confirm the Football Association recently contacted our player Mykhailo Mudryk concerning an adverse finding in a routine urine test.
“Both the Club and Mykhailo fully support The FA’s testing programme and all our players, including Mykhailo, are regularly tested. Mykhailo has confirmed categorically that he has never knowingly used any banned substances. Both Mykhailo and the Club will now work with the relevant authorities to establish what has caused the adverse finding. The Club will not be commenting any further.”
What Mudryk has said
Mudryk said at the time: “I can confirm that I have been notified that a sample I provided to The FA contained a banned substance. This has come as a complete shock as I have NEVER knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules, I’m working closely with my team to investigate how this could have happened.
“I know that I have not done anything wrong, and so I remain hopeful that I will be back on the pitch soon. I can’t say any more now due to the confidentiality of the process with FA, but I will do it as soon as I can”.
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