Arsenal legend Martin Keown has claimed no one at Chelsea watched Mykhailo Mudryk play before the club signed him.
Mudryk arrived at Stamford Bridge in January 2023 for an initial £62.5m following a very public transfer saga with London rivals Arsenal.
The 23-year-old had an electric debut as a second half substitute against Liverpool at Anfield, but largely struggled in his first six months at the club.
Keown thinks no one at Chelsea watched Mudryk before signing him
The Ukraine international has improved this season, and had more game time, but is still very raw and requires a lot of coaching to help him reach his obvious potential.
Mudryk has shown glimpses of what he’s capable of, such as his brilliant solo goal against Newcastle at Stamford Bridge and has found the back of net seven times in 41 appearances, with five of those coming in the Premier League.
Mudryk will really need to deliver next season, and could be playing for his future at the club with South American talents Kendry Paez and Estevao Willian arriving in 2025.
Keown has claimed no one at Chelsea watched Mudryk before signing him and told talkSPORT:
“If you look at Mudryk, it was almost like they bought him on Wyscout, nobody had actually watched him play.
“I do not think actually that he is the finished article, but Cole Palmer has actually dragged that club through, and he has done it with the help of the manager, identifying the best place to play him and then get that on the pitch, that’s [Mauricio] Pochettino.”
There’s no reason as to why Mudryk can’t kick on and improve further next season, and Mauricio Pochettino has managed the Ukrainian well this campaign.
He’s far from the finished article and still possesses a number of deficiencies in his game, but with Pochettino’s record at developing youngsters hopefully Mudryk can realise his potential next season.
