KINYANJUI: Chelsea signing Mudryk leaves a bitter taste on the Gunners but what are his qualities?

Since the tail end of the 2022 August transfer window, the words on a lot of Arsenal fans’ lips has been about Mykhailo Mudryk, Shakhtar Donetsk's highly rated explosive winger.

Initially, there were concrete links linking the Gunners to Wolves’ Pedro Neto, as Mikel Arteta looked to continue adding the pieces to his jigsaw as he continued overseeing his ‘process’ at the club. However, they were unable to add him to their ranks, and so, interest turned to Mudryk, as per David Ornstein of the Athletic.

I am very sure most fans had probably never heard of him prior to August. After a stellar first half to the season in a Shaktar shirt, he now has a flurry of suitors, including the Gunners’ closest rivals, Chelsea, who seems to have now beaten the Gunners to his signature, leaving a bitter-taste in the mouths of many a Gunner fan, after The Blues submitted a bid of close to $100million, which has been accepted.

But what does the signing of the winger presents, what are his weakness and strengths; and what could have drawn him to Arsenal in the first case? And will be shine at Chelsea? MARK KINYANJUI with the analysis.

Natural ability

The talent Mudryk possesses cannot be denied. He is already one of the fastest players in the game. He also possesses potentially elite quality, demonstrating great control of the ball in tight spaces and in transitional situations. His crossing delivery and passing on the counter and in build-up are immensely encouraging, and he looks to be a promising goal scorer as well, could be a good buy for the Blues.

Before Chelsea bulldozed their way with the cash, Mudryk clearly had his heart  in Arsenal, as evidenced by his social media activity. From voicing his admiration in interviews, to liking Instagram posts linking him with a move to Arsenal, and even dropping heavy-handed hints of his desire to become a Gunner on his own account, it’s pretty clear that the forward wants to play in north London. Signing someone like that can only be a positive. It remains to be seen if he will hit the ground running in the Blue side of London.

Mikel Arteta has a great track record of developing wingers. As assistant manager at Man City, he helped Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane develop their game. Sane expressed amazement as he spoke about how ‘’he had learnt a lot under Arteta’’.

At Arsenal, we have seen firsthand how Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka have developed under his tutelage. You get the feeling Mudryk would have flourished under the Spaniard. Now that he’s elected to join Chelsea, a wobbling ship as at now, it remains to be seen if Potter will help develop his game to new heights.

A price tag too high in the current market

Given the transfer market in modern football, it is no surprise every next big thing is valued extemporaneously. Shakhtar Donetsk wanted 100 million pounds for Mudryk, touting him ‘one of the best in the world’ (a hyperbole statement expected of a side that wants to make the most of their shiniest toy).  In Chelsea they found a suitor too willing.

Is he really worth it?  After all, he only has just over one and a half years’ experience of Ukrainian league football under his belt. He has only scored 9 goals in 29 league appearances since breaking into the first team in 2018. He only has 8 caps for the Ukrainian national team and did not even make Ukraine’s squad for Euro 2020.

Common sense says that you pay such high fees for players with a proven track record. For a player who will likely be initially used as one to provide plenty of competition for places, it might be too much.

Although he has pace to burn which could help Chelsea out in transitional situations, he may need time to adapt to a ball-oriented system.

Under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal look to be dominant in possession. As per smarterscout, a site which rates a players’ different attributes from a scale of 1 to 100, he ranks a low 9 out of 100 for ball retention and 22 out if 100 for link up play volume, showing he would need time to adapt to a system where he is involved in the play. The same would suffice at his seemingly new found station Chelsea. The EPL is quite physical and explosive meaning some time will be needed in the gym, working with specialists, and Potter will also have to devise a better game plan to bring the best out of him, while also protecting him after attracting such a huge price tag.

Mudryk appears to be a footballer who is very online. Considering how brutal the English media can be and how relentlessly scathing fans (and even Blues) will become if Mudryk does not live up to his price tag, Mudryk could face a lot of criticism and abuse, and his consistent online presence means he will have a front row seat to it.

 A potential concern is that Mudryk’s use of social media could lead to his confidence, and even his mental health, becoming harmed should his performances not impress. He will face immense pressure online.

According to the Athletic, Mudryk was a precocious talent but applying it was a problem. Shaktar’s captain, Taras Stepanenko even said that he did not like his attitude as a young player.

It took a couple of loans for him to start changing his attitude, and current Brighton coach, De Zerbi, who briefly coached him as manager of the club, helped transform this.

Srna even admits that he has struggled to connect with all the coaches he has worked under. It begs the question: will his attitude problems resurface?

There is no doubt that Mudryk might become one of the best in the world under the right coaching, but the cons make me wonder if he is worth spending that kind of money right now.

Mark Kinyanjui has been a Sports intern at Royal Media Services radio department in the last four months. He is at home writing and analyzing football games.