Chelsea forward Mykhailo Mudryk has been linked with a summer move to Coventry City as he looks for more Premier League first-team football
Mykhailo Mudryk looks on
Chelsea forward Mykhailo Mudryk has been tipped to sign for Coventry City(Image: VCG via Getty Images)
Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink believes Frank Lampard's relationship with Chelsea could be key to securing Mykhailo Mudryk's signature at Coventry City. The Sky Blues are being linked with the Ukrainian winger as they look to bolster their attack.
The 25-year-old has not played a competitive match since Chelsea's victory away in Heidenheim all the way back in November 2024. Mudryk was given an initial four-year suspension by the FA for an anti-doping violation, testing positive for meldonium, but appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
His ban has now been lifted, but he looks unlikely to earn many first-team minutes this season in Xabi Alonso's side. The forward, an £88.5million signing from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023, is available on loan.
And former Chelsea striker Hasselbaink suggests the Sky Blues would be an excellent destination. City manager Lampard made 648 appearances for Chelsea and worked with Mudryk during his brief spell as caretaker boss at Stamford Bridge three years ago.
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Asked if Chelsea should prioritise talks with City due to the Lampard links, he told Coventry Live:"I think so. Obviously, Frank knows him. Frank has worked with him.
"I think it goes both ways. Frank needs a player like that who's very quick for the majority of the games.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink believes Mykhailo Mudryk could do well at Coventry City(Image: Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
"With all due respect to Coventry, they're not going to be dominant, so they're going to have to play maybe the majority of the games as a counter-attacking team. They need quick players and Mudryk is definitely one of them, but then from Mudryk's side, he needs to pick up his career again.
"He needs to go to someone who understands him and will give him the love and give him the time as well, and get his career back on track. He has gone through a lot, so he needs somebody who is going to put his arm around his shoulder and help him, and I think Frank and him have already got a relationship, so I can see from both sides how that might work really well."
Coventry are in need of more top-flight experience as they prepare for their first Premier League campaign in 25 years. Lampard's team face Premier League champions Arsenal on Friday night (8pm) in their first top-flight fixture since a 0-0 draw at home to Bradford in May 2001.
It follows a busy summer of transfers, with eight players arriving at the CBS Arena, including Caleb Yirenkyi, Carl Rushworth, Loum Tchaouna, Aurele Amenda and Taiwo Awoniyi.
Sky Blues owner Doug King is excited about the new campaign and believes his club have recruited well. Speaking to BBC Radio 4 on Friday morning, he said: “When a club is promoted they need to reset their quality of players to go with what has got them there in the first place.
“We have tried to do that, to bring in the quality that will allow us to compete. We had to get our squad setup and I feel we had a good summer for that so I am feeling happy that we recruited really well.”
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