Mudryk Wanted Arsenal Over Chelsea, Reveals Shakhtar Director

Mykhailo Mudryk originally preferred a move to Arsenal over Chelsea back in 2023, according to Shakhtar Donetsk director of football Darijo Srna, who was closely involved in the negotiations that eventually sent the winger to Stamford Bridge.

Both Arsenal and Chelsea were chasing the Ukrainian star from Shakhtar in January 2023, but it was Chelsea who won out in the end, agreeing a deal worth up to £88 million, with £26 million of that tied to performance add-ons.

Srna, who still holds the same role at Shakhtar today, handled talks with Chelsea directly, while the club's general director Serhiy Palkin dealt with Arsenal. Speaking on Denys Boyko's podcast, Srna revealed that Mudryk actually leaned towards Arsenal at first, largely because of his conversations with manager Mikel Arteta.

"Misha talked to Arteta. I talked to the Chelsea coach. And, probably, at that moment he liked Arteta more," Srna said.

But according to Srna, the final decision always came down to the numbers on the table.

"But it is the club that decides whether to sell a player or not. We told him that the club has found a common language with Chelsea. And then you decide for yourself: do you want to move or not? Either you go to Chelsea, or Arsenal offers the same conditions, or you stay at Shakhtar."

In the end, Chelsea simply offered more.

"From what I know from Serhiy Palkin, he communicated with Arsenal. I was more in contact with Chelsea, but he and the president conducted all this policy," Srna explained. "I was just directly inside the process, the Chelsea sporting director and I were in touch. Chelsea generally made a much better offer to Shakhtar than Arsenal. We can discuss it, but we cannot accept a worse offer than the one we have."

The transfer saga left plenty of Arsenal fans frustrated at the time, with one supporter even arrested for shining a laser pen at Mudryk during a later match between the two clubs.

Since arriving in England, Mudryk's career hasn't gone entirely to plan. He struggled for form and end product in his early days at Chelsea, and things took a further hit in December 2024 when he was suspended after meldonium, a banned substance, was found in a sample taken during international duty with Ukraine.

He successfully appealed the resulting four-year doping ban earlier this year and joined Tottenham on loan over the summer. Mudryk made his Spurs debut in a 0-0 draw at Nottingham Forest this month, but has since picked up a training injury that could keep him sidelined for several weeks.

Spurs do have the option to sign Mudryk permanently for £75 million, though that decision will have to wait. Boss Roberto De Zerbi is hopeful the winger will be back in time for the first North London Derby in December.