Chelsea winger sprinting with ball down touchline at Stamford Bridge in royal blue kit

Mudryk’s Doping Case Closed: Alonso Gets a Winger He Didn’t Plan For

By Fiona Castellano - 1st Aug 2026, 10:00am

Mykhailo Mudryk’s 20-month nightmare is over – the FA and WADA have resolved his doping case with immediate effect, handing Xabi Alonso a winger he wasn’t expecting to have this summer.

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The Athletic‘s Simon Johnson and Ali Rampling confirmed on Friday that the FA and Chelsea have both released statements declaring Mudryk’s anti-doping disciplinary proceedings resolved. The resolution was reached with the agreement of WADA under Article 10.8.2 of the World Anti-Doping Code and Regulation 90 of the 2024 FA Anti-Doping Regulations. Mudryk accepted that he had committed an anti-doping rule violation, and the period of ineligibility was set equal to the time already served – meaning he walks straight back into availability with no further days to sit out.

The substance at the centre of the case was meldonium, a cardiovascular medication that can aid endurance and recovery, detected at a low concentration during an out-of-competition test on international duty with Ukraine in October 2024. The FA had imposed a four-year ban – their maximum penalty – which Mudryk appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in February 2026. The resolution was triggered by changes to WADA Technical Document TD2027MRL, which revised the minimum reporting levels for meldonium. Under the updated rules, the concentration found in Mudryk’s sample would not have been flagged as a positive test at all.

A new piece for Alonso to work with – and a genuine puzzle to solve

Frankly, this lands at an interesting moment for us. Alonso has been reshaping the squad at pace – exits have already been confirmed and the rebuild is very much in motion. Mudryk’s return doesn’t slot neatly into a pre-existing plan; it adds a variable Alonso didn’t have when the window opened.

The winger competition has already been overhauled since Mudryk last pulled on the shirt in November 2024. Jamie Gittens is now in the building, and as we covered when Gittens arrived for pre-season, Alonso is clearly building around pace and directness on the flanks. Alejandro Garnacho, who also came in during Mudryk’s absence, has since moved to Aston Villa on loan. So there’s space – but it’s not uncrowded, and Mudryk won’t just walk back into a starting role.

Jamie Gittens in a neon yellow Borussia Dortmund kit dribbling a football during a match — Jamie Gittens in action for Borussia Dortmund.

Chelsea’s statement said the club will focus on reintegrating Mudryk and that they know how much this opportunity means to him. The FA’s statement was equally clear: he is no longer ineligible and may return to competition with immediate effect. The supplementary evidence from the Evening Standard also confirmed that Mudryk has been training with private coaches throughout his suspension, keeping himself in some degree of physical condition – though how that translates to Premier League readiness is a separate question entirely.

What Alonso inherits – and what we should realistically expect

Mudryk joined us in January 2023 from Shakhtar Donetsk in a deal worth €70 million up front, plus a further €30 million in potential bonuses, on a contract running to 2031. His last competitive appearance was a 2-0 Conference League win over Heidenheim on November 28, 2024 – nearly 20 months ago. He’s missed our Conference League title, the Club World Cup campaign, and the full transition from Maresca’s tenure to Alonso’s arrival.

The Athletic’s analysis from Cerys Jones put it well: given the scale of turnover since he was last here, Mudryk is effectively a new signing in everything but the paperwork. Alonso has spoken about the culture and standards he expects – his early words set the tone clearly – and Mudryk will need to earn his place like anyone else walking through the door this summer.

Xabi Alonso wearing a black jacket and pointing during a football match — Manager Xabi Alonso directing his players from the touchline.

On his Instagram, Mudryk said he had never knowingly or intentionally taken any banned substance, and that his focus now is on returning to football and making a positive contribution on the pitch. We have no reason to doubt the sincerity of that. The WADA threshold change vindicates the appeal, even if the technical violation remains formally accepted as part of the settlement. It’s a messy resolution to a messy case, but the outcome is straightforward: Mudryk is a Chelsea player again, available now, and it’s Alonso’s job to figure out what that means. We’ll take it.