Mykhaylo Mudryk was set to join Arsenal before Chelsea eyed the Gunners with an £87m bid, but a club legend has told Mikel Arteta not to worry about losing the Ukrainian wonderkid
Arsenal legend David Seaman reckons that losing Mykhaylo Mudryk will prove to be a blessing in disguise.
The Gunners spent much of the winter chasing the 22-year-old Ukrainian wonderkid, who is looking to move to the Emirates. But when Arsenal refused to meet Shakhtar Donetsk’s lofty demands, London rivals Chelsea eyed them with an £87m bid that met his high asking price.
Mudryk decided to join Chelsea and signed a mammoth contract for eight and a half years, leaving the Gunners high and dry. But Mikel Arteta and co should not be too upset, according to Seaman, who claims the Ukraine international is only looking for money and is “quite happy” he has moved to Stamford Bridge.
Speaking after Mudryk’s promising first appearance for Chelsea as a substitute in Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Liverpool, the former Arsenal keeper explained on his Seaman Says podcast: “When he came on he looked really good, I was really impressed with a lot of things. the control, the way he beat defenders, the little passes he saw.
“I think he looks special and I think I would have liked him at Arsenal if I’m honest. He left for the money! You would think that [Gabriel] Martinelli would be the only one because when he came on against Liverpool he was on the left so is it for Martinelli or as another striker.
“I’m quite happy he didn’t, he will let the squad down, I’m sure it will. We can’t compare to the likes of Chelsea, Man City, Liverpool and even Man United on the financial side of the deal. If we do something really special this year that puts us back there.”
Seaman’s verdict was echoed by former Gunners teammate Ian Wright, who acknowledged the financial implications of the deal were too disastrous to ignore.
“With Mudryk, I’m really excited about that. With money, it starts to get into a world where it can knock us off our axis in terms of what we’re trying to do,” Wright told the Arsecast podcast. “He looks like the type of guy that would fit into our group. I’m a little bit disappointed but not disappointed that Arsenal left ‘it’s ok.”
When asked about losing Mudryk’s signature after the announcement nearly two weeks ago, Arsenal manager Arteta replied with a predictable response. “I’m very proud to have the players we have,” the Gunners boss told Sky Sports. “We always want to try to improve the squad. The club is the first to try and improve the players we have.
“We have to have discipline and be consistent in the targets we have. We can make the players better – let’s focus on that. We had some injuries, long-term injuries and it doesn’t help but we can focus for tomorrow. Train better, train better and review the game. We will try to improve the team. There are always several parties involved. The club is willing and they have my support and I have theirs.”