Who is Mykhailo Mudryk, the $108m Ukrainian who Chelsea picked over Enzo Fernández

The recruitment of the Ukrainian Mykhailo Mudryk was finalized this Sunday from Chelsea to which he committed himself for the next eight and a half years. The midfielder, who arrived as a surprise after the English club had flirted with the Argentine world champion Enzo Fernándezwas introduced to the club at Stamford Bridge, before the start of the match against Crystal Palace. The party was complete for the Blues, who won 1-0 thanks to a solo goal Kai Havertz and the inspiration of the Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and its parades.

The Ukrainian footballer, who turned 22 earlier this month, has signed his contract with the London club he joined from Shakhtar Donetsk for about 108 million dollars.

“The clubs have agreed on the details of the transfer: Shakhtar will receive $75million for the player and $33million are pledged in bonuses,” the Ukrainian body explained on its website.

Mudryk, who had impressed this season in the Champions League, looked set to sign for Arsenalalthough Chelsea ultimately prevailed in the contest.

“I am very happy to arrive at Chelsea”, The player told the club’s official media that he no longer had the Russian tycoon’s protective blanket Roman Abramovich.

“This is a huge club, a fantastic league and a very interesting project for me at this stage in my career. I am thrilled to meet my new team mates and am looking forward to working and learning with Graham Potter and the his team.” Forward.

Mudryk joined Shakhtar Donetsk’s academy in 2016 and, after several first-team appearances and loan spells at fellow Ukrainian League clubs Arsenal Kyiv and Desna Chernigiv, he made great progress in the first-team over the course of the 2021/22 season, with two goals and seven assists in 11 games championship.

After signing his commitment with Chelsea, the player went to Stamford Bridge where he was introduced to his new fans. He came on before the start of the match against Crystal Palace ccovered by a large flag of Ukraine. He made his way from the dressing room tunnel into midfield and waved to his new supporters before returning to the stadium stage to watch the match.

“We are very happy to welcome Mykhailo to Chelsea. He is a very promising talent and we think he will be a major asset to our team now and for years to come,” explained Blues owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali.

Tenth in the Premier League and with a squad plagued by losses, Chelsea are looking to revive their listless attack.

Mudryk is the fifth reinforcement in this transfer window after French defender Benoît Badiashile, Ivorian forward David Fofana, Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos and Portuguese forward Joao Felix, on loan from Atlético.

Since the start of the season, Chelsea have spent $487 million on transfers. It seems that Enzo Fernández has to wait.

Source: EFE and AFP