Vesper

Pretty crazy that atm, due to injuries, Real Madrid are reduced to 3 attacking (their normal postions) players AMF - Brahim Díaz Winger - Rodrygo CF - a 33yo, £4m Joselu Plus shit fullbacks Plus Cuntois, Éder Militão, and Arda Güler all out the bad knee injuries Their CMFs and DMFs are carrying them, and even there, Valverde has zero goals, zero assists all comps so far. Bellingham is carrying the team on his back atm.

They are a solid side. 3rd ranked in South America, 16th ranked in the world (barely trail Mexico) out of 211 teams. Player Age Nat. Club Market value 1 Federico Valverde Central Midfield 25 €100.00m 2 Ronald Araújo Centre-Back 24 €70.00m 3 Darwin Núñez Centre-Forward 24 €65.00m 4 Manuel Ugarte Defensive Midfield 22 €50.00m 5 Rodrigo Bentancur Central Midfield 26 €40.00m 6 José María Giménez Centre-Back 28 €35.00m 7 Mathías Olivera Left-Back 25 €18.00m 8 Giorgian de Arrascaeta Attacking Midfield 29 €17.00m 9 Lucas Torreira Defensive Midfield 27 €15.00m 10 Facundo Torres Right Winger 23 €14.00m 11 Nicolás de la Cruz Central Midfield 26 €11.00m 12 Joaquín Piquerez Left-Back 25 €10.00m 13 Mauro Arambarri Central Midfield 27 €9.00m 14 Fernando Gorriarán Central Midfield 28 €9.00m 15 Maximiliano Araújo Left Winger 23 €8.50m 16 Santiago Bueno Centre-Back 24 €8.00m 17 Matías Viña Left-Back 25 €8.00m 18 Agustín Álvarez Centre-Forward 22 €8.00m 19 Diego Rossi Left Winger 25 €7.00m 20 Leonardo Fernández Attacking Midfield 24 €7.00m 21 Maxi Gómez Centre-Forward 27 €7.00m 22 Matías Arezo Centre-Forward 20 €7.00m 23 Martín Satriano Centre-Forward 22 €7.00m 24 David Terans Attacking Midfield 29 €6.00m 25 Facundo Pellistri Right Winger 21 €6.00m

The latest on Trevoh Chalobah’s future at Chelsea https://thedailybriefing.io/i/136996493/the-latest-on-trevoh-chalobahs-future-at-Chelsea There have been many rumours in the last 24 hours about Trevoh Chalobah - we know that the final days of the transfer window were not easy at all for the player. He had to make a decision - he was on the list at Inter for a long time but they never made an official offer this summer because their priority was Benjamin Pavard. So for Chalobah there was an opportunity to join Bayern on Deadline Day, there was a negotiation with Chelsea and the two clubs were close to reaching an agreement, but then due to the different timing of the transfer windows in Germany and England, they were not able to reach an agreement on the salary and other details of the deal, so it collapsed. Chalobah wanted to go to Bayern, and this is why he rejected an offer from Nottingham Forest. They presented a very important proposal to Chelsea - £25m plus add-ons up to £30m, and Chelsea accepted that proposal, but Chalobah said no, he said he would prefer to stay at Chelsea. Tottenham were another possibility in the final hours of Deadline Day but never something concrete because they didn’t sell Eric Dier as they wanted to do in order to make room for Chalobah. So now in the last 24 hours we’re also hearing reports that Chalobah is out of the picture at Chelsea. From what I’m hearing, although it’s true that Chelsea accepted that proposal and wanted Chalobah to go to Forest, there is no formal communication from the club that Chalobah is not going to play for them again. Sources on the player side feel that the player expects to leave Chelsea in January - the feeling is that something will happen for them to part ways. Chalobah still wants to leave if there’s good opportunity like Bayern. But, to reiterate, there is no guarantee that Chalobah will not play for Chelsea. There was also something similar being reported about Marc Cucurella, but Chelsea deny players being frozen out. Again, the feeling is that both Chalobah and Cucurella are set to look for new clubs in January if they can’t play in the next months.

Sarr was a free transfer, but his salary is cray £120K PW Worst signings (in no order) Lukaku Torres Sheva Drinkwater CuCu Kepa Bakayoko KK plus these potentials Wesley Fofana (likely perma-damaged) Mudryk (not looking good) Disasi (jury out, but I never wanted him, far better CBs out there we could have purchased, IMHO)

Real Madrid can go fuck themselves if this is true (I have my doubts, they are not that stupid) £34.4m for Reece???? LOLOL that is less than we got for LEWIS HALL Real Madrid ready to offer €40 million for Chelsea’s homegrown talent next summer https://madriduniversal.com/real-madrid-ready-to-offer-e40-million-for-chelseas-homegrown-talent-next-summer/ The new generation has well and truly taken over at Real Madrid. Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo Goes, Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni and Eder Militao all represent the core of the team for the long haul, leaving very few spots for the veteran stars. One department that continues to be under the care of the old guard is right-back. Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez continue to be Carlo Ancelotti’s only options in the department, but Real Madrid are actively looking for a new younger name. Objective Reece James According to SPORT, Real Madrid have locked in on Chelsea’s Reece James as their next right-back and will not give up on his pursuit. The men in white plan to activate the mission to sign him next summer, although it will be far from easy. James has been at Chelsea for his entire career and has racked up 11 goals and 20 assists in that duration. He is currently valued at €65 million on the transfer market, but Real Madrid will not exceed the €40 million barrier for him next June. His signing is most complicated by the fact that his contract with Chelsea runs until 2028, giving Los Blancos little space to negotiate the transfer fee. Chelsea are under pressure to sell Not all is bleak for Florentino Perez in pursuit of his latest target. Chelsea are under strict scrutiny after their recent splurges on the transfer market and are under pressure to sell players. The story will be no different next summer. Considering that James is one of the club’s most saleable assets, a departure for the Englishman may not be seen with bad eyes. However, it is unlikely that Chelsea would consider letting their captain leave very easily, and it will likely take an offer more than the €40 million proposal being lined up.

£70m is too much IMHO We will only get one full sub 30yo season out of him, and he is not a Benz or Lewa type who is going to be WC until 35yo or so IMHO

the only time I ever saw it even hinted at was here: 10 Mar 2020 https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/ian-maatsen-agrees-new-Chelsea-contract never (that I have seen) confirmed that there was one or if there was, that it is still in effect, and also there a lot of articles saying he can leave on a free in the summer

Chelsea set to sanction Turkish move for star who has ‘no chance’ of playing for Pochettino https://www.teamtalk.com/Chelsea/set-sanction-turkish-move-star-no-chance-playing-pochettino Chelsea are actively trying to offload Malang Sarr after the defender emerged as a target for clubs in Turkey before their transfer deadline, a report has revealed. The Turkish transfer window is still open until Friday, which gives Premier League clubs the chance to offload players to Super Lig sides. With most other major markets now closed, there could be a flurry of late activity towards Turkey. According to Football Insider, Chelsea defender Sarr is someone who could make such a switch. The website claims there is ‘no chance’ of him convincing Mauricio Pochettino to promote him into his plans. Therefore, some clubs in Turkey – though none are named in the report – are queuing up for the chance to take Sarr away from Stamford Bridge this week. Whoever takes him, it is deemed that the deal would most likely be a loan. Sarr still has two years remaining on his contract with Chelsea, who signed him on a free transfer back in 2020. After temporary spells with Porto and Monaco, Sarr now seems set for a third loan exit of his Chelsea career, which has only included 21 appearances for his parent club. Other former Chelsea players currently active in the Turkish Super Lig include Michy Batshuayi at Fenerbahce and Hakim Ziyech at Galatasaray. Sarr is also now in line to secure a similar move, which will be a relief to Chelsea given they are believed to be paying him more than £100,000 per week not to be anywhere near their first-team project. Pochettino would prefer to use Benoit Badiashile, Axel Disasi, Levi Colwill, Thiago Silva, Trevoh Chalobah and the injured Wesley Fofana at centre-back than Sarr, whom he seems to have little knowledge of anyway.

WATCH: Cole Palmer scores a great goal for England U21 https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2023/9/11/23868869/watch-cole-palmer-scores-a-great-goal-for-england-u21 Cole Palmer is one of the players we’re hoping will be able to fix our goalscoring woes — not just this season, but for many seasons going forward — and Chelsea’s newest recruit showed today that he can indeed produce a stellar finish, by scoring a wonderful effort for England U21 against Luxembourg this evening. Now he just has to do this consistently, and in a Blues shirt! Unsurprisingly, England didn’t have much trouble with the hosts, especially in the second half, with Palmer setting up the first goal, Noni Madueke the second, and then Palmer crowning it all off with his great strike in a 3-0 victory.

lol, here goes the crazy bullshit rumours Chelsea secure secret agreement to sign world’s most-wanted striker in 2024 – report https://www.teamtalk.com/Chelsea/secure-secret-agreement-sign-worlds-most-wanted-striker-2024-report Chelsea are leading the race to sign Victor Osimhen from Napoli and the report saying so claims they may even have agreed a deal already. Osimhen was arguably the most coveted striker in the transfer market this summer, but Napoli held firm and kept their centre-forward. However, interest in the Nigeria international from other clubs is not going to fade away ahead of the new year. According to Football Transfers, Chelsea have decided to make Osimhen their top target for the summer of 2024. Meanwhile, they are said to have taken the lead in the race to sign him, ahead of rival suitors such as Arsenal. The report even hints they might have agreed a deal with Osimhen already, which is why they were happy enough just to add Nicolas Jackson up front this summer. How much substance there is to those suggestions, only time will tell. But when Osimhen is on the move in the transfer market, Chelsea will be one of the main clubs to watch out for. Centre-forward has been something of a problem position for Chelsea for a while now. Players like Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner have been prolific elsewhere but have struggled to replicate those talents at Stamford Bridge in recent years. Chelsea evolving their attack This season, Mauricio Pochettino can choose between Jackson and Armando Broja as his main options at centre-forward, as well as another new arrival, Deivid Washington. Christopher Nkunku was brought in over the summer from RB Leipzig to add a new element to their attack, but he has since suffered an injury. Osimhen became one of the most highly-rated strikers on the planet last season when his goals helped Napoli to a rare Serie A title. During his time in Italy, he has scored 62 goals from 104 appearances for his current club. By the time next summer comes around, there will only be one year remaining on his contract with Napoli, unless they are able to find a way to extend it. Depending on how they do this season, Chelsea could be in a strong position to offer Osimhen the next step and a first taste of Premier League football. They will have to make major progress in Pochettino’s first season in charge to right some wrongs from last term, but adding a player like the former Lille star could be the missing piece they have been trying to find. Osimhen will be 25 years old by the time Chelsea can try to sign him, thus approaching his peak years.

3rd? They are dead bottom of the table

Amara Diouf became the youngest ever to play for Senegal — born in 2008, 15 years and 94 days. A LW from Generation Foot academy that produced Sadio Mané. He’s joining Metz, deal already agreed for the future.

Blanc sacked

Pogba has been suspended for anti-doping offense

Alejo Véliz, sigh

we should have sold him to Citeh I think it is likely he refuse to renew and will refuse to go anywhere but Citeh, and may well wait until summer to go there on a free, unless they offer us something in January (which will likely be FAR below £31.5m if they do decide they do not want to wait) we will just be training him for Citeh the rest of the season and lose a pure profit £31.5m for FFP purposes arsed again

fuck (this lad is by far the most likely to be the next Gvardiol ie great Croatian CB (right footed versus Gvardiol being left footed) Tottenham to complete centre-back signing this week https://thedailybriefing.io/i/136922241/tottenham-to-complete-centre-back-signing-this-week Fantastic news for Tottenham fans as the club is closing in on the signing of Croatian wonderkid defender Luka Vuskovic. Born in 2007, this centre-back looks an exciting signing for the future for Spurs. Many other clubs also tried to approach Hajduk Split over Vuskovic, with interest last January, February, and March, as I reported across my platforms at that time, but now we have an imminent ‘here we go’ for Vuskovic to go to Tottenham. The deal is nearly ready, a decision has been made, with Vuskovic only wanting to go to Tottenham - it was impossible to change his mind. Spurs have been monitoring him for more than one year, but I can also reveal that Vuskovic was in the list of five European top clubs including Manchester City, PSG and Bayern... and one more. The two clubs are now finalising the deal, it’s just about final details and documents now, and then Vuskovic can have his medical and sign his contract. It’s imminent now, I expect Spurs to complete the deal this week - this talented young centre-back will 100% be a Spurs player.

best targets atm for positions of need (plus I list a youth DMF) Right Footed CB António Silva Bremer Jean-Clair Todibo Mohamed Simakan youth Leny Yoro Luka Vuskovic LB Alphonso Davies Nuno Mendes youth Caleb Wiley RB (if Reeces leaves) Achraf Hakimi Jeremie Frimpong Arnau Martínez DMF youth Gabriel Moscardo AMF Florian Wirtz Lucas Paquetá Xavi Simons Dani Olmo Arsen Zakharyan (no longer on a Russian team) youth Désiré Doué Georgiy Sudakov Jobe Bellingham Winger Rafael Leão Khvicha Kvaratskhelia Pedro Gonçalves Nico Williams Nicolás González Marcus Edwards Kevin Schade Amine Adli youth Antonio Nusa Estevão Willian (16yo) Rayan Vitor CF Victor Osimhen Lautaro Martínez Dusan Vlahovic Jonathan David Ollie Watkins Ivan Toney (January?) Evan Ferguson Benjamin Sesko youth Kauã Elias

WATCH: Chelsea Legends dominate against Bayern, win 4-0 Stamford Bridge turns back the clock https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2023/9/10/23866107/watch-Chelsea-legends-dominate-against-bayern-win-4-0 Nostalgia is a powerful drug, and there was plenty of it on offer Saturday night, as perhaps the greatest collection of modern Chelsea Legends in a team — despite a few conspicuous absentees — ran rampant against a group of Bayern Munich legends, winning 4-0 in a 60-minute match held in tribute to Gianluca Vialli and in support of the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and the Chelsea Foundation. The goals by Michael Essien (assisted by Ramires), John Terry (assisted by Florent Malouda), Gary Cahill, and Tiago Mendes were all worth the price of admission, as was the chance to see Gianfranco Zola playing in our lovely home kit from this season, and playing a key role in setting up our two second half goals as well. Indeed.

lol, you knew it was coming Real Madrid’s scouting director Juni Calafat pushing Real Madrid to pursue Antonio Nusa https://thehardtackle.com/transfer-news/2023/09/09/juni-calafat-pushing-real-madrid-to-pursue-antonio-nusa/ this makes NO sense assuming (a damn good assumption IMHO) they land Mbappe next year Real already would have 3 of the top 5 right footed wingers (massive drop off after these 5, and when you count ALL wingers, the only 2 atm at these 5's level are leftie Saka and Foden) on the planet they would have the top 3 in terms of valuation atm and all 3 prefer the LW Kylian Mbappé Vinicius Junior Rodrygo (right footed and already forced out of position from the LW to the RW due to Vini) Rafael Leão Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (ambipedal but plays 95% at LW) Nusa is a righter footed LWer as well IF he blows up up that level, they would have FOUR of the top 6 right footed/ambipedal wingers Plus they have Endrick coming in! (granted a lefty, but he will be a winger as well!!!!!) PLUS they have the right footed Valverde who also plays at winger at at times, lolol assuming that (a lefty like Saka, Foden, and Endrick) that Lamine Yamal blows up too and assuming Nusa does as well (the biggest IF of the 10) this would be the top ten wingers in a few years (barring so new one not listed coming on, and also assuming all these stay at or go to this level bold are Real Madrid in this scenario left footers are in italics no real order (other than the top 2 atm) Kylian Mbappé LW Vinicius Junior LW Rodrygo LW but forced already to RW Rafael Leão (also linked to Real!) LW Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (also linked to Real!) LW Bukayo Saka RW Phil Foden RW Lamine Yamal RW Endrick RW Antonio Nusa LW LOLOLOL Madness! will never happen PLUS they will move for Håland, (or Osimhen if Håland doesn't happen) so there is their CF filled

UK government reaffirms commitment for independent football regulator https://theathletic.com/4841662/2023/09/07/uk-government-independent-football-regulator/ The UK government has restated its intention to introduce an independent regulator for English football “as soon as possible” following a seven-month consultation process with clubs and the football authorities. The renewed commitment is made clear in the consultation response published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on Tuesday to its February white paper, “A Sustainable Future – Reforming Club Football Governance”. White papers are documents that set out proposals for future legislation and the road to this landmark intervention into the football industry started in 2019, when the government promised a fan-led review of the game’s governance in its manifesto. That followed the shock caused by the expulsion of Bury FC from the English Football League (EFL) and the near-collapse of Bolton Wanderers, and the case for reform grew during 2020 and 2021 with the difficulties caused by the pandemic and the attempt by several leading clubs to form a breakaway European Super League. In April 2021, former sports minister Tracey Crouch was asked to lead the review and she published her recommendations in November of that year, with the most significant being the creation of an independent regulator. GO DEEPER UK government announces independent regulator for English football Now, almost two years and months of concerted lobbying later, the government has said it has listened to everybody – some wanting more regulation, others wanting none – and its mind is made up: independent regulation is coming. “Our football clubs are the lifeblood of communities and the envy of leagues around the world,” said Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer. “We want to see them protected for fans now and in the future. “Today we outline our plans to make sure the new regulator for football is independent, and remains true to its central mission to safeguard these community assets and help the beautiful game continue to grow in England.” However, there are still several details to be decided. For example, the 52-page consultation response says the government is “minded to set up a new body to house the regulator” but “all options remain under review” and it will continue to consult experts on the matter. Where the regulator sits in the governance structure has been a bone of considerable contention, with some in the game saying the regulator should operate under the English Football Association’s umbrella, as an entirely separate body could become “politicised”. But others have pointed out that the FA and the leagues have proven they are unable to govern the sport properly and the regulator must be a standalone body to be credible. The government would appear to agree with the latter opinion. Another area where consensus has been lacking is on the regulator’s “scope” – in other words, how far down the pyramid it should regulate. The government’s view is that its remit should extend to the National League, the English game’s fifth tier, but no further, as its primary focus should be the “financial sustainability” of the professional game. Where the grassroots and women’s games sit in this is a little unclear but the government has said it will continue to consult with stakeholders. GO DEEPER What football thinks of new independent regulator It also dismissed concerns that the relevant international governing bodies, FIFA and UEFA, would view the creation of a regulator as undue government intervention into the sport, pointing out football and government already coexist and cooperate on a wide range of issues, here and abroad. There was also a wide range of views expressed during the consultation on whether the regulator should take a standardised view of its work, with a set of blanket conditions, or a more bespoke approach that targets “poorly-run, financially distressed” clubs. Again, the government believes the latter approach is better, as regulation should be “flexible, agile and proportionate”. And there were concerns shared about the risk of conflicts between the various organisations in charge of the game, duplication of effort and possible gaps where nobody is sure who should be in charge. “We agree” was the government’s succinct answer, pointing out that it had extensive experience of setting up independent regulatory authorities that work well within their industries, such as the Financial Conduct Authority, the Office of Communications (Ofcom) and the Pensions Regulator. However, the biggest dispute still to be settled is football’s oldest argument: how the game should share its wealth. The current financial distribution model is complicated and contentious, with the Premier League making a solidarity payment to the vast majority of clubs in the EFL that totals £120million, about 5 per cent of media income the Premier League shares with its clubs. However, the top division also allocates more than £200m a season to about half a dozen recently relegated clubs in the form of parachute payments. It says it does this to ensure clubs promoted to the Premier League have the confidence to invest in new playing talent and help relegated clubs deal with the shock of relegation. The EFL, on the other hand, says parachute payments have ruined the competitive balance of the Championship and force the other clubs to spend irrational and unsustainable amounts of money simply to keep up. The EFL believes the need for parachute payments would disappear if the Premier League would agree to share 25 per cent of the leagues’ combined media income on a more equitable and meritocratic basis. GO DEEPER Parachute payments? They are more like rocket boosters - why EFL clubs want them scrapped The Premier League, however, has said it is happy to send more money down the pyramid, although not as much as the EFL is asking for and only if the league agrees to tighter spending controls (which the EFL has repeatedly said it does not object to), but does not want to scrap parachute payments. The government’s view is that, contrary to some Premier League voices, the current financial model is not working – there have been 60 cases of clubs going into administration since the Premier League’s creation in 1992, clubs across the spectrum continue to lose money every season and the clubs’ total debts are rising – but finding a solution should be left to the game, if at all possible. If it is not, though, the government will give the regulator “a backstop system that involves targeted powers to intervene and facilitate an agreement on financial redistribution as and when necessary”. This represents a significant win for the EFL and a defeat for those, largely within the Premier League, who do not think more of the top flight’s media-rights income should be used to support the rest of the pyramid. The Premier League declined to comment on the government’s response to the consultation but it should be noted that all of its clubs have been fully engaged in the process and the league itself has been in regular contact with the relevant government officials. It is also true that the government’s response makes it clear it does not want to jeopardise the global success of the Premier League, threaten inward investment in the game or overburden clubs with red tape. EFL chair Rick Parry, on the other hand, has publicly welcomed the government’s latest position on independent regulation. “As a consistent supporter of the independent regulator’s introduction, it is important that delivering financial sustainability for men’s English professional football will be its focus, and we now look forward to seeing legislation introduced to parliament,” he said. Others were more circumspect in their reaction to the government response. “It is great news that there will be a regulator for English football but, as ever, the devil is in the detail,” said Niall Couper, chief executive of Fair Game, a group that represents more than 30 English league and non-league clubs, including Premier League side Luton Town. “The backstop powers need to be firmed up. A system where the game receives £3.19billion of TV revenue each year but clubs in League One can’t afford to pay their energy bills and the hiring of a kit manager in the National League is considered a luxury and, indeed, a club’s very survival is a daily concern, is clearly flawed. “At the moment, for every £1,000 of TV revenue, £882 goes to Premier League clubs, £32.85 to most Championship sides and just 15p to National League South sides. “The independent regulator has the potential to transform football for the better. But, in order to do so, it must have the necessary teeth to hold those it oversees to account.” Of course, the biggest question mark of all, though, is when all this might happen. And on that the government has only said “legislation will be introduced as soon as parliamentary time allows”. The current government must call an election by January 2025 but some experts think it will come before that. So, this government has approximately a year to get it through parliament, which should not be difficult as the opposition parties are all strongly in favour of the proposal. In fact, if this government does not do it in this parliament, they propose to do it in the next one. GO DEEPER Explained: What the Government white paper means for the regulation of English football

Mykhailo Mudryk’s Chelsea move has not gone to plan – can he turn it around? https://theathletic.com/4834635/2023/09/07/mudryk-deserves-patience-Chelsea/ Mykhailo Mudryk’s numbers read as follows: eight starts, 813 minutes (including substitute appearances), no goals and two assists. After the efforts Chelsea made to beat Arsenal to the signing of the Ukrainian in January, they would have hoped for a much better return on their investment thus far. GO DEEPER One red-eye flight, Potter's promise and £97,000 a week: How Chelsea won the race for Mykailo Mudryk Mudryk was regarded as one of the best young players in the sport when he arrived. The 22-year-old’s stock has depreciated somewhat since then. There is no respite from the scrutiny in England as he has been named in the Ukraine squad to face Gareth Southgate’s side in a European Championship qualifier this weekend. An indication of where his head is at came on his personal Instagram account late on Wednesday, three days before the game is played. Mudryk posted a graphic picture of the conflict between Russia and his homeland. He has 1.6million followers on the social media site, many will be young football fans. While Instagram’s sensitive content warning blocks the image, which at the time of writing had not been deleted and contrasts greatly with the next photo of the player meeting fans, it is nevertheless shocking and should not be sought out. Judging by his latest appearance for Chelsea, which raised more questions and certainly more groans of disapproval from the home fans at Stamford Bridge, Mudryk is going into the international fixture with his confidence at a minimum. Coming on late in the game with Chelsea trailing 1-0 down to Nottingham Forest last Saturday, Mudryk provided little threat. The Ukraine international had 22 minutes, including nine minutes of added time, to help Mauricio Pochettino’s side get an equaliser. Instead, his display emphasised just how lost he appears to be right now. Given that Mudryk is an attacking player who likes to run at defenders and put balls into the box, his output was underwhelming. According to Opta data, he produced just one shot, attempted seven passes (completing four) and four crosses. Perhaps the biggest indication of how comfortable the Nottingham Forest players were defending against him is the statistic showing he was not fouled once. Right now, he’s not a player you have to worry about stopping. It would be easy to start labelling Mudryk as a flop, that Chelsea made a mistake in paying Shakhtar Donetsk an initial €70million (£61.6m, $75.5m) for his signature or that the player would have been better off joining Arsenal instead. But perhaps his situation should be treated with more sympathy as it is certainly not as clear-cut as it might seem. To begin with, consider the timing of Mudryk’s transfer at the start of the year. Not only had the negotiation been a stressful one — with Arsenal seemingly the favourites for several weeks only for Chelsea to gazump their rivals at the 11th hour – but he had gone two months without any football due to the Ukrainian season taking a winter break. It meant Mudryk arrived effectively needing to do pre-season again. But Chelsea could not afford to wait. Their campaign was in freefall, having lost seven of their previous 14 matches. The new acquisition had to play. Mudryk made his debut off the bench at Liverpool just six days after being unveiled on the Stamford Bridge pitch. Mudryk impressed at Anfield but it is a level he has not really matched since. No one should be too surprised that Mudryk did not excel at Chelsea last season. He joined a club where the mood in the camp deteriorated as each bad week and result went by. The head coach Graham Potter regularly changed the starting line-up in an attempt to turn things around. It meant Mudryk was in and out of the team, usually playing (when picked) with different players. There was no chance to build a rhythm. Several players were counting down the days before they could leave in the summer. Potter did not even have to wait that long as he was dismissed in April, leaving Bruno Saltor (one game) and then Frank Lampard (11 matches) to see out the remainder of the season. Amid this, you have a 22-year-old living a long way from home for the first time with limited knowledge of the English language. An example of this came during his first interview with the English written media on the club’s pre-season tour of the USA in July. Speaking after Chelsea’s 4-3 win over Brighton, a game in which he excelled, the exchange lasted around 90 seconds and the answers consisted of fewer than 100 words in total. Mudryk was, and continues to be, worried about friends and family left behind in Ukraine who are having to cope with the country being at war with Russia. How would you perform in your daily life in this situation? A salary of £97,000 a week, while very welcome, cannot help with that. If we take Saltor’s one-off appearance out of the equation, Mudryk is also now working under his third Chelsea head coach in the space of just eight months. Mauricio Pochettino is in the process of getting a squad, which has undergone another window of significant incomings and outgoings, gelling together. Pochettino finds himself under a bit of pressure too, after suffering two defeats in his first four Premier League games. Despite showing some encouraging signs in pre-season — he scored a fine goal against Brighton — Mudryk has made just three substitute appearances lasting only 67 minutes for Pochettino, not helped by a minor calf injury. There is clearly plenty of room for improvement. The question is: will that ever materialise? Mudryk also has to take some responsibility for things not working out yet. The Athletic has spoken to sources around Chelsea and close to the player — on an anonymous basis to protect relationships — to get more insight into what is going on. First and foremost, he cannot be accused of not working hard. He loves doing extra sessions in the gym, perhaps too much. As one confidant explains: “He will be in the gym at the training ground before and after normal drills. He loves it. “He will do what Chelsea ask him to do training-wise, but will always find the time for extra gym work. Players notice he is committed. He wants to be better. People need to leave him alone. He is a nice lad.” But some believe he is in the gym too much, even visiting ones away from the club. The Athletic has been told that Chelsea have actually told him to tone the gym work down a little due to concerns he is overdoing it. This is not a phase he is going through. He was already regularly exercising like this at Shakhtar Donetsk. They were accustomed to him working with heavy weights and powerlifting. Mudryk sees it as helping his stamina and physical readiness. It is also clearly one of the things he enjoys off the pitch to keep himself entertained living in a new environment. Another is playing video games. That is not unusual for a footballer but one source suggested that he spends more hours doing it than most. With gamers competing and conversing over the internet, it provides an option to connect with people all over the world, including friends in Ukraine, at all times of the day. Another sign of his dedication was making himself available in July for Ukraine’s bid to win the European Under-21 Championship, where they reached the semi-finals. A month earlier, he started for the senior side in their 3-2 win over North Macedonia, setting up two of Ukraine’s goals. Being prepared to drop down a level is hardly the sign of someone with an overinflated ego who is resting on their laurels. The aim was to not only help Ukraine win a trophy but also get some more football into his legs so he could start the season with Chelsea in good shape. He enjoyed being back with fellow countrymen and registered three assists in two matches. He also made an appearance for a charity game at Stamford Bridge on August 5 that was set up to raise money for Ukraine. One attendee observed: “He was very shy when I saw him, barely said a word. He looks like he needs a hug. His English is not great. The language barrier is quite tough. “Playing for Ukraine at the under-21s tournament boosted his self-belief, he seemed happier being around people he knows, being around Ukrainian people. He was away from all the criticism. It was the same with the charity game at Stamford Bridge. But not starting the opening games of the season for Chelsea seemed to knock him back again. You can see there is a player in there.” Mudryk is being judged on his transfer fee, rather than his experience. You will regularly see his cost being stated at £88million (€100m) due to performance-related add-ons being included in the deal. However, the agreement with Shakhtar consists of €5m increments that are paid for winning the Premier League and Champions League on a per-instance basis — meaning Chelsea would need to win both competitions multiple times for Shakhtar to receive the full €100m figure. As things stand, it could take them a while before they worry about having to pay an extra sum even once. Despite these caveats, at least one Premier League club regards Mudryk as heavily overpriced according to their data model. It is no wonder he looks a bit raw. At Shakhtar, Mudryk played only 65 times at senior level (including 21 games on loan for Desna Chernihiv and Arsenal Kyiv) before making the move to Chelsea. Even if you add his 11 caps for Ukraine and the 20 appearances for Chelsea, he has still not amassed 100 appearances at the highest level. Taking on tactical instruction is a work in progress. He did not do himself any favours at West Ham United last month when Chelsea went down to 10 men before the interval due to the injury to Carney Chukwuemeka. Pochettino wanted to bring Mudryk on as a substitute but Chelsea had to see out the final few minutes a man down because he took too long to get ready. But he has clearly made a good impression on his team-mates, who rate him highly. During an interview on the club’s pre-season tour of the United States in July, vice-captain Ben Chilwell made his feelings clear. “With Mudryk, I see endless bags of potential that hasn’t been fulfilled yet,” Chilwell said. “I’ve told him that, I’m not just saying that. I’ve told him he hasn’t fulfilled that yet, for one reason or another. “He needs to decide when to cross, when to shoot, when to dribble, when to pass and hopefully, I can help him try and get that decision-making. He can be such a good player. It’s just trying to guide him. He needs to have confidence in his ability, that we’re all completely behind him.” Chilwell is not the only one to have offered words of encouragement and advice. Last season another senior player highlighted to Mudryk how he was tending to rush or snatch at things whenever he approached the opposition penalty area, that he was showing all the signs of wanting things to happen too much. He was advised to be calmer in the final third, to trust in his talent — the goals and assists would come. Another indication of how much he is appreciated came in an in-house interview earlier this year alongside team-mates Wesley Fofana, Chukwuemeka and Benoit Badiashile. Fofana said Mudryk is the fastest player he has ever come up against, faster than Kylian Mbappe. Some supporters have come up with the nickname of “Ukraine Bolt” but it is not used in the most complimentary fashion, suggesting he is all speed and little else. His sprints are certainly a major asset. But Chelsea are often playing against teams, such as Nottingham Forest, who sit deep and deny him the space to run into. Mudryk has also been used more as a substitute (12 times out of 20) than a starter, meaning he is often being put on to salvage a game going wrong, increasing the pressure on his shoulders to deliver in a short period. At the back end of last season, Lampard revealed one of the reasons Mudryk was not a regular pick under him was that the coaching staff were trying to improve the defensive side of his game. Before the Forest fixture, where the attacker made his return from a calf problem, Pochettino said he is focusing on improving Mudryk mentally and physically. Chelsea’s head coach said: “He needs to feel comfortable, feel really strong in his body. He suffered from the beginning. “We are focused on trying to help him be really strong and healthy. No one can perform if you don’t feel strong in your body. We are working in all of the areas he needs to feel good. I hope in the next weeks he starts to find his form.” In that brief interview with English journalists in the summer, Mudryk admitted he had shown only 20 per cent of what he can do. He also said having “patience” was what he had learned the most so far. He now needs others to show him the same courtesy.