Mykhailo Mudryk backed to shine for Chelsea in 2024/25
Former Gunners defender Gael Clichy insists that Chelsea FC ace Mykhailo Mudryk has the potential to be the best winger in the Premier League next season.
Mykhailo Mudryk has been struggling to find his feet at the Bridge following his £88.5 million move from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk 16 months ago. The Blues from West London beat their London rivals to seal his signature in what was a blockbuster couple of days leading to the transfer.
The Ukraine international has netted only seven goals in 41 appearances this season, and multiple sections of the fan base doubt whether he will become the prolific scorer they need. However, former Manchester City and Arsenal defender Gael Clichy insists it would be wrong to write the 23-year-old off with only one full season of English top-tier football under his belt.
Write him off too soon? Clichy believes Mudryk can be Premier League’s Best
Clichy, speaking to Ladbrokes Fanzone, said (via. The Metro):
‘Mykhailo Mudryk was about to sign for Arsenal for big money last year, and everyone was thinking he was going to come in and change the team completely, with his pace, and how good he looked with the ball at his feet, and everything like that. Then, you look at the year or so he’s had with Chelsea, and some people might think, ‘Thank God we didn’t buy him’.
‘Does it mean the player is not performing? Maybe he’ll turn up next season. We have to think about other things off the pitch, such as what’s happening with him at home, coming from a place where things are really tough right now. Sometimes, we forget about this kind of thing and just focus on what the guy is doing on the pitch.
‘My son, for example, will cut his finger at school, and I won’t feel good for the whole afternoon. So I can’t imagine what these guys are having to deal with. And when I talk about these guys, I’m talking about the people of Ukraine. We have a similar situation at Arsenal with Oleksandr Zinchenko, who has been extremely important for Arsenal since he signed for the club. And, all of a sudden, people are saying that maybe it’s time for him to move on because he’s not giving us what we want anymore.
‘Football is a machine that does this sometimes; we forget that outside of this game, there is life. I wouldn’t be surprised if Mudryk comes out next season and becomes the best winger in the Premier League, because he’s absolutely got all of the attributes that you want in a winger.
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Why is he not performing now? His club is not performing; maybe he’s not feeling himself, and maybe that will change next season. And maybe Zinchenko will feel better next season; we don’t know. We don’t know what these people are going through, and you have to keep that in mind. We all have quick opinions, and it’s very easy to judge when we haven’t got all of the cards in front of us.’
It is important to acknowledge the difficulties that a young player might have settling into the Premier League and complement that with the mental side of things with the war in Ukraine. While we have seen glimpses of Mudryk, there hasn’t been consistent gameplay, and hopefully we should see that next season.
