10. Mykhaylo Mudryk

[Superblue 6,331]

36 minutes ago, laura90 said:

I don't get the way this club is run. Are they aware of  the risk? So many signings without offloading anyone. I read somewhere we can sign just one player without selling. We need to offload players but who? When? We will soon be in the position when everyone know we need to sell as if we were able to offload players without this burden before.

Furthermore, what's up with this loooong contracts for unproven players? It helps with FFP but what if it doesn't work with certain player?

Costs of running this club are sky high and we will need to offload players at any cost. We will find ourselves having to sell players who improved and warrant big transfer fee, like Colwill perhaps. 

We will have to play in CL to make ends meet, and there will be both Manchester clubs with their new ownership with Newcastle. One place for either of Us, LFC, Arsenal.

I think they are taking risk because they are spending Roman's money but will their risk be Chelsea's gain? I'm not so sure. We will need extreme success with our signings that is, we will need  miracles.

There is one big positive/negative of the longer contracts. Like you mentioned if they flop, then we could well struggle to offload them.

But on the flip side, if some of these players go on to be big players over the coming years, then it'll look like a masterstroke that they are tied here throughout most, if not all of their 20's. In recent years we've seen Rudiger move on a free transfer at the very peak of his career, Christensen move on a free, and Hazard and Courtois able to essentially force the club's hand with moves due to their contract situations. We also now have Mount in a very similar position if something doesn't materialise this season. So we are certainly a club that can also see the setbacks of losing control over players contracts too.

The key is to have more hits than misses in the transfer market to really make this work, and we may not really know or be able to assess this strategy for at least a couple of years or so.

Regarding the offloading, I think there could be a fair few moved on in the summer. I think if there's no takers for Auba and Azpi then they'll be allowed to move on anyway, as of now Jorginho and Kante will leave on frees, possibly Silva too, Felix and Zakaria are only on loan and the likes of Ziyech and Pulisic will only have a year left on their deals meaning the club are more likely to sell cheap and recoup something back for them. I also think the club will look to sell Koulibaly and Mendy too if there's market interest. 

[ZAPHOD2319 3,873]

Looks like a friendly in Ukraine? Is that safe?

 

 

[NikkiCFC 7,580]

16 minutes ago, ZAPHOD2319 said:

Looks like a friendly in Ukraine? Is that safe?

 

 

They didn't play home game there for years. 

[Superblue 6,331]

1 hour ago, ZAPHOD2319 said:

Looks like a friendly in Ukraine? Is that safe?

 

 

Think the full quote mentioned after the war has ended.

[Strike 6,961]

 

14 hours ago, Superblue said:

Certainly looks like he takes his conditioning and training seriously, looks like he has muscles in his legs that I didn't even realise were there (they're certainly not apparent in my legs!) - on the Chelsea video of his signing he seemed to cite Ronaldo as his inspiration in football and that training and application do appear to be very "Ronaldo-esque".

I like all that I'm reading about him being a Ronaldo-inspired fitness freak. Hoping that unlike Pulisic and the other attackers, he has the appetite to keep going even when defenders in this league are throwing in challenges.

[Blue Armour 4,164]

20 hours ago, Mhsc said:

I am always dubious about these lists. I cannot believe that Rudiger is faster than Traore, but maybe it is a matter of acceleration that separates them (perhaps Rudiger has a higher top speed if given the entire length of the pitch to get up to it?)

Not the first time I'm seeing Rudiger top these lists. When he joined the prem, he clocked among the top 2 highest speeds recorded.

He is a bullet train when he gets going.

Not bad for a player that once suffered a serious knee injury.

Edited January 17, 2023 by Blue Armour

[Vesper 27,310]

1 hour ago, Blue Armour said:

Not the first time I'm seeing Rudiger top these lists. When he joined the prem, he clocked among the top 2 highest speeds recorded.

He is a bullet train when he gets going.

Not bad for a player that once suffered a serious knee injury.

which is why I still have some hope that Wesley Fofana can fully recover

before that horrid leg break, he was in my top 10 (at peak top 5) CBs to buy lists all the time

[NikkiCFC 7,580]

“Overall, it was the same [offer]. Not approximately the same — it was the same figure. The fixed part, variable part, bonuses. But if you look inside the fixed part and bonuses, it was completely different.

“Different time (schedule) of the payments, different kinds of bonuses. Yes, we can talk about bonuses, but these bonuses should be somehow achievable and realistic, let’s say. Therefore, in this case, Chelsea was much more serious and fair in some points.

“When we met Chelsea, we stayed all together. For you to understand the context, it was for nine or 10 hours. They invited the player and explained to us the whole project. We realised that, yes, if you look right now, Chelsea have some kinds of problems but it is normal because they have a transition period from one owner to another. It is understandable. They would like to change a lot.

“So when they explain to you the whole story and you look for the next two, three, four, five years, then you see they have a serious project. I believe they will build one of the best clubs in the world because I am telling you, they are very serious in all directions: sports science, the stadium side, the commercial side, on all things. For us, they looked very ambitious.”

-Sergei Palkin; source: The Athletic

Edited January 17, 2023 by NikkiCFC

[YorkshireBlue 2,825]

1 hour ago, NikkiCFC said:

“Overall, it was the same [offer]. Not approximately the same — it was the same figure. The fixed part, variable part, bonuses. But if you look inside the fixed part and bonuses, it was completely different.

“Different time (schedule) of the payments, different kinds of bonuses. Yes, we can talk about bonuses, but these bonuses should be somehow achievable and realistic, let’s say. Therefore, in this case, Chelsea was much more serious and fair in some points.

“When we met Chelsea, we stayed all together. For you to understand the context, it was for nine or 10 hours. They invited the player and explained to us the whole project. We realised that, yes, if you look right now, Chelsea have some kinds of problems but it is normal because they have a transition period from one owner to another. It is understandable. They would like to change a lot.

“So when they explain to you the whole story and you look for the next two, three, four, five years, then you see they have a serious project. I believe they will build one of the best clubs in the world because I am telling you, they are very serious in all directions: sports science, the stadium side, the commercial side, on all things. For us, they looked very ambitious.”

-Sergei Palkin; source: The Athletic

Can't be true, our fans say they don't have a clue what they are doing! Surely they know better than another club owner 🤣🤣

Edited January 17, 2023 by YorkshireBlue

[Vesper 27,310]

Exclusive: Why Mykhailo Mudryk joined Chelsea not Arsenal – by Shakhtar’s CEO

https://theathletic.com/4096686/2023/01/17/shakhtar-donetsk-ceo-why-mudryk-Chelsea-not-arsenal/

Chelsea poached Mykhailo Mudryk from under the noses of Premier League leaders, and London rivals, Arsenal over the weekend.

At €100million (£88.7m, $108.2m), the deal is a record for a Ukrainian player and for Shakhtar Donetsk, who sold him.

The 22-year-old winger was paraded on the pitch at half-time during Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday, after signing a seven-and-a-half-year contract.

Here, Shakhtar chief executive Sergei Palkin tells The Athletic’s Adam Crafton:

• How Arsenal first made contact with the player “in October or November” last year — a month before their interest was formalised with Shakhtar
• That the two London clubs offered the same amount for Mudryk, but the add-ons built into Chelsea’s bid were more “achievable and realistic”
• Why Shakhtar suspected a sale might get pushed back to the summer until Chelsea’s interest crystalised last week
• How Chelsea’s new owners are overseeing a project to “build one of the best clubs in the world”
• Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali proposed a future friendly against Shakhtar in Donetsk.

---

Adam Crafton: A lot of supporters of Premier League clubs are fascinated by this transfer. It looked like Mudryk would go to Arsenal but then, in the space of 24 hours, he joined Chelsea. When did you realise Chelsea would be the destination?

Sergei Palkin: I realised two days ago (Saturday) when Chelsea arrived here — the co-owner Behdad Eghbali and (director of global talent and transfers) Paul Winstanley. They came to Antalya in Turkey (where Shakhtar have been at a training camp during their domestic season’s winter break). Before Chelsea arrived, I did not know they were close, because I communicated with Arsenal in the same way as I had with Chelsea. Even I can tell you more: I met Arsenal more times than Chelsea. Therefore, before this last meeting, Arsenal was close, or a little bit closer to this deal than Chelsea.

https://theathletic.com/podcast/144-athletic-football-podcast/?episode=512

How many times did you meet Arsenal?

If you don’t count telephone conversations, it was three times.

From our conversations with sources close to the deal, the impression I have is that Arsenal were confident you would have found a compromise with them, and we had even seen the player himself on social media watching Arsenal matches. What, in your view, changed things? Was it the willingness of Chelsea to fly to Turkey and to meet the figure?

From my point of view, (this) is why everybody talked about Arsenal. It is because Arsenal contacted the player almost one and a half months before they contacted us. Can you imagine, for example, to have (the Arsenal coach) Mikel Arteta, (Arsenal’s Ukrainian player) Oleksandr Zinchenko and the sporting director (Edu) calling you, to have Arsenal calling you almost every day, every two days, every three days? You can want or not want the move but you follow this kind of reception and contacts. If you talk about Chelsea, they called me at the end of December and asked if they can contact Mudryk because they are interested in him and want to talk with him. I said, ‘No problem, you can contact him’. The first time they contacted him was around the end of December or the start of January. They contacted the player and the agent of the player and they met the financial conditions. Therefore, why did many people around it have the impression that Mudryk was going to Arsenal? It is because Arsenal contacted him and then Mudryk started to watch some games of Arsenal. But negotiations are negotiations. When you didn’t close everything, when you did not (close) the last dot, then you cannot finish the deal. Therefore it was just an outside visual impression that Mudryk is close to Arsenal.

GO DEEPER

Is Mykhailo Mudryk - Chelsea's prospective new striker - really worth the hype?

Were any other clubs close to a deal?

There were some contacts but not serious. So it was just two clubs.

Did you ask Arsenal whether it was right for them to contact the player before they spoke to the club? Normally, clubs make a complaint when that happens.

When I met Arsenal and they mentioned they had already talked to the player and they had contacted the player, to be honest, I knew beforehand that they had started to contact him. I said, ‘OK, you start to contact him but first of all you should close it with us’. But OK, we have what we have.

So you didn’t make a formal complaint to FIFA?

We didn’t do a formal complaint. They did what they did.

Our understanding is that in the final offers from the two clubs, the total figures were basically the same but the difference was the speed of payments. Is that correct?

Overall, it was the same. Not approximately the same — it was the same figure. The fixed part, variable part, bonuses. But if you look inside the fixed part and bonuses, it was completely different.

In what way?

Different time (schedule) of the payments, different kinds of bonuses. Yes, we can talk about bonuses, but these bonuses should be somehow achievable and realistic, let’s say. Therefore, in this case, Chelsea was much more serious and fair in some points. When we met Chelsea, we stayed all together. For you to understand the context, it was for nine or 10 hours. They invited the player and explained to us the whole project. We realised that, yes, if you look right now, Chelsea have some kinds of problems but it is normal because they have a transition period from one owner to another. It is understandable. They would like to change a lot. So when they explain to you the whole story and you look for the next two, three, four, five years, then you see they have a serious project. I believe they will build one of the best clubs in the world because I am telling you, they are very serious in all directions: sports science, the stadium side, the commercial side, on all things. For us, they looked very ambitious.

Our information is that the Chelsea deal includes add-ons if they win the Premier League or Champions League. Is that accurate?

Yes. It has these kinds of bonuses.

Is there a clause relating to Mudryk winning the Ballon d’Or? 

Chelsea’s offer has no Ballon d’Or (clause). It is achievable bonuses that we feel, and they feel, can be reached. Maybe not this year but in the next two, three or four years.

There’s no deadline then? If they win the Premier League or Champions League in 2029, the bonuses still apply?

It’s eight years, or seven and a half. The length of contract is eight years — seven plus one.

Did Mudryk ever say to you, ‘Let me leave in January’? Or would he have waited until the summer if you had not permitted a transfer?

We had no detailed discussions with Mudryk. He was professional, he did not push us. He did not want to meet us to ask why we had not sold him or complain he had not been sold for €50million, €60million. We just said, ‘Mykhailo, we are running negotiations. We want to help you and we believe that we will finalise it, so just relax, train properly and that’s it’. There was no pressure from his side or the agent’s side. Maybe you even saw his agent do an interview to say Mudryk is professional, training well and that they respect he belongs to Shakhtar.

Did he speak to Chelsea head coach Graham Potter before joining the club?

Mykhailo spoke with him this weekend.

On Monday, Shakhtar president Rinat Akhmetov announced that his team will play a friendly with Chelsea in Donetsk (when and if that area of Ukraine is no longer occupied by Russian forces). Can you clarify if this is actually written into the transfer agreement?

Yes, it is written into the contract. But actually, we did not even need to read it in the contract because Behdad spoke with our president. Behdad supports Ukraine a lot because he is American and it is an English club, so for us this is a positive triangle because when you say England and Ukraine, it is important for our war support at this moment. They spoke very well and shook hands. I know because I translated. I liked the conversation very much and I believe that it does not matter if it is in the contract or not. It was Behdad who proposed (the friendly), because he said he wanted to help Ukraine, to help Ukrainian refugees and to support Ukrainian people. For us, this match (in Donetsk) would be like a miracle (having not played in their home city since 2014). We would have this match every weekend if we could.

Was their conversation with Akhmetov by phone?

Yes, on the phone. He has never left Ukraine since the beginning of the war.

It has been reported that $25million from the deal will go directly to assist the medical and psychological needs of soldiers who have defended Mariupol in Ukraine, or the families who have lost loved ones.

No, it is our president’s own money. He will donate it himself to the fund. They are organising a fund to help the defenders of Mariupol and the families of the defenders who lost their husbands and fathers.

From the wider reporting, it appeared that Arsenal made a final offer on Thursday or Friday. Did you speak to Arsenal to tell them it was all done with Chelsea?

Before Chelsea arrived in Turkey, we almost agreed with Arsenal that there was no chance to close (the deal). When they proposed the final offer of €70million plus €30million (in add-ons), we sat down and started to talk internally about how it will be fulfilled in terms of the payments, the fixed part and the bonus issues. We realised we will not close this deal (with Arsenal). I said to Edu that I did my best but it was not possible.

So it was a relief when Chelsea then came?

When Chelsea arrived, they just called and said, ‘OK, we know you negotiated with Arsenal, we know you are close with some kind of figures. We want to meet’. I said, ‘OK, let’s meet’. I told Muydrk, ‘If I do not sell you in winter, we will definitely sell you in the summer’. I said, ‘Maybe you will cost even more in summertime’. We were ready to accept different scenarios. We would not be rushed.

So while meeting Chelsea, did you need to keep a poker face to say Arsenal are still involved?

But this football world is quite close. I know for sure that everybody knows what is going on. From (the) Arsenal side, Chelsea side, these kinds of negotiations involve a lot of people. A lot of journalists are around it, too. A lot of guys who can provide some kind of info. So, everyone knows what is going on.

It’s a record deal for a Ukrainian footballer. What does this mean for Ukraine right now? To have somebody promoted globally in the biggest league in the world, to have an ambassador with the Ukrainian flag (which Mudryk wore as he greeted the crowd on Sunday) at Stamford Bridge…

For social media alone, the coverage was something like 60 million across those platforms. I am not counting newspapers or TV channels. Ukraine got absolutely top-level coverage across the world, and for us it is positive promotion of our country. Mudryk became an ambassador of Ukraine across the world. I like very much that he went to the Premier League because it is the best league in the world, and also England supports Ukraine a lot. It is one of the best countries for that, which is very important for us. For the whole world and Ukraine, it is an important transfer. We have context in this transfer: American owners, England, Ukraine – this triangle. Today, we are as close as ever. It is an important point.

This time last year, Chelsea were owned by (Russian oligarch) Roman Abramovich. He faced sanctions from the British government before Chelsea were sold to the new ownership. Now the club is a very different place. Is that important as well?

I think yes, because if there was no new owner of Chelsea, there would be a lot of critics in respect of us, because of these kinds of connections.

Probably impossible (to make this deal in those circumstances)?

Maybe even impossible.

GO DEEPER

Mudryk deal a statement of intent and shows Chelsea owners are fully behind Potter

Edited January 17, 2023 by Vesper

[bluesman2610 1,226]

37 minutes ago, Vesper said:

Exclusive: Why Mykhailo Mudryk joined Chelsea not Arsenal – by Shakhtar’s CEO

https://theathletic.com/4096686/2023/01/17/shakhtar-donetsk-ceo-why-mudryk-Chelsea-not-arsenal/

Chelsea poached Mykhailo Mudryk from under the noses of Premier League leaders, and London rivals, Arsenal over the weekend.

At €100million (£88.7m, $108.2m), the deal is a record for a Ukrainian player and for Shakhtar Donetsk, who sold him.

The 22-year-old winger was paraded on the pitch at half-time during Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday, after signing a seven-and-a-half-year contract.

Here, Shakhtar chief executive Sergei Palkin tells The Athletic’s Adam Crafton:

• How Arsenal first made contact with the player “in October or November” last year — a month before their interest was formalised with Shakhtar
• That the two London clubs offered the same amount for Mudryk, but the add-ons built into Chelsea’s bid were more “achievable and realistic”
• Why Shakhtar suspected a sale might get pushed back to the summer until Chelsea’s interest crystalised last week
• How Chelsea’s new owners are overseeing a project to “build one of the best clubs in the world”
• Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali proposed a future friendly against Shakhtar in Donetsk.

---

Adam Crafton: A lot of supporters of Premier League clubs are fascinated by this transfer. It looked like Mudryk would go to Arsenal but then, in the space of 24 hours, he joined Chelsea. When did you realise Chelsea would be the destination?

Sergei Palkin: I realised two days ago (Saturday) when Chelsea arrived here — the co-owner Behdad Eghbali and (director of global talent and transfers) Paul Winstanley. They came to Antalya in Turkey (where Shakhtar have been at a training camp during their domestic season’s winter break). Before Chelsea arrived, I did not know they were close, because I communicated with Arsenal in the same way as I had with Chelsea. Even I can tell you more: I met Arsenal more times than Chelsea. Therefore, before this last meeting, Arsenal was close, or a little bit closer to this deal than Chelsea.

https://theathletic.com/podcast/144-athletic-football-podcast/?episode=512

How many times did you meet Arsenal?

If you don’t count telephone conversations, it was three times.

From our conversations with sources close to the deal, the impression I have is that Arsenal were confident you would have found a compromise with them, and we had even seen the player himself on social media watching Arsenal matches. What, in your view, changed things? Was it the willingness of Chelsea to fly to Turkey and to meet the figure?

From my point of view, (this) is why everybody talked about Arsenal. It is because Arsenal contacted the player almost one and a half months before they contacted us. Can you imagine, for example, to have (the Arsenal coach) Mikel Arteta, (Arsenal’s Ukrainian player) Oleksandr Zinchenko and the sporting director (Edu) calling you, to have Arsenal calling you almost every day, every two days, every three days? You can want or not want the move but you follow this kind of reception and contacts. If you talk about Chelsea, they called me at the end of December and asked if they can contact Mudryk because they are interested in him and want to talk with him. I said, ‘No problem, you can contact him’. The first time they contacted him was around the end of December or the start of January. They contacted the player and the agent of the player and they met the financial conditions. Therefore, why did many people around it have the impression that Mudryk was going to Arsenal? It is because Arsenal contacted him and then Mudryk started to watch some games of Arsenal. But negotiations are negotiations. When you didn’t close everything, when you did not (close) the last dot, then you cannot finish the deal. Therefore it was just an outside visual impression that Mudryk is close to Arsenal.

GO DEEPER

Is Mykhailo Mudryk - Chelsea's prospective new striker - really worth the hype?

Were any other clubs close to a deal?

There were some contacts but not serious. So it was just two clubs.

Did you ask Arsenal whether it was right for them to contact the player before they spoke to the club? Normally, clubs make a complaint when that happens.

When I met Arsenal and they mentioned they had already talked to the player and they had contacted the player, to be honest, I knew beforehand that they had started to contact him. I said, ‘OK, you start to contact him but first of all you should close it with us’. But OK, we have what we have.

So you didn’t make a formal complaint to FIFA?

We didn’t do a formal complaint. They did what they did.

Our understanding is that in the final offers from the two clubs, the total figures were basically the same but the difference was the speed of payments. Is that correct?

Overall, it was the same. Not approximately the same — it was the same figure. The fixed part, variable part, bonuses. But if you look inside the fixed part and bonuses, it was completely different.

In what way?

Different time (schedule) of the payments, different kinds of bonuses. Yes, we can talk about bonuses, but these bonuses should be somehow achievable and realistic, let’s say. Therefore, in this case, Chelsea was much more serious and fair in some points. When we met Chelsea, we stayed all together. For you to understand the context, it was for nine or 10 hours. They invited the player and explained to us the whole project. We realised that, yes, if you look right now, Chelsea have some kinds of problems but it is normal because they have a transition period from one owner to another. It is understandable. They would like to change a lot. So when they explain to you the whole story and you look for the next two, three, four, five years, then you see they have a serious project. I believe they will build one of the best clubs in the world because I am telling you, they are very serious in all directions: sports science, the stadium side, the commercial side, on all things. For us, they looked very ambitious.

Our information is that the Chelsea deal includes add-ons if they win the Premier League or Champions League. Is that accurate?

Yes. It has these kinds of bonuses.

Is there a clause relating to Mudryk winning the Ballon d’Or? 

Chelsea’s offer has no Ballon d’Or (clause). It is achievable bonuses that we feel, and they feel, can be reached. Maybe not this year but in the next two, three or four years.

There’s no deadline then? If they win the Premier League or Champions League in 2029, the bonuses still apply?

It’s eight years, or seven and a half. The length of contract is eight years — seven plus one.

Did Mudryk ever say to you, ‘Let me leave in January’? Or would he have waited until the summer if you had not permitted a transfer?

We had no detailed discussions with Mudryk. He was professional, he did not push us. He did not want to meet us to ask why we had not sold him or complain he had not been sold for €50million, €60million. We just said, ‘Mykhailo, we are running negotiations. We want to help you and we believe that we will finalise it, so just relax, train properly and that’s it’. There was no pressure from his side or the agent’s side. Maybe you even saw his agent do an interview to say Mudryk is professional, training well and that they respect he belongs to Shakhtar.

Did he speak to Chelsea head coach Graham Potter before joining the club?

Mykhailo spoke with him this weekend.

On Monday, Shakhtar president Rinat Akhmetov announced that his team will play a friendly with Chelsea in Donetsk (when and if that area of Ukraine is no longer occupied by Russian forces). Can you clarify if this is actually written into the transfer agreement?

Yes, it is written into the contract. But actually, we did not even need to read it in the contract because Behdad spoke with our president. Behdad supports Ukraine a lot because he is American and it is an English club, so for us this is a positive triangle because when you say England and Ukraine, it is important for our war support at this moment. They spoke very well and shook hands. I know because I translated. I liked the conversation very much and I believe that it does not matter if it is in the contract or not. It was Behdad who proposed (the friendly), because he said he wanted to help Ukraine, to help Ukrainian refugees and to support Ukrainian people. For us, this match (in Donetsk) would be like a miracle (having not played in their home city since 2014). We would have this match every weekend if we could.

Was their conversation with Akhmetov by phone?

Yes, on the phone. He has never left Ukraine since the beginning of the war.

It has been reported that $25million from the deal will go directly to assist the medical and psychological needs of soldiers who have defended Mariupol in Ukraine, or the families who have lost loved ones.

No, it is our president’s own money. He will donate it himself to the fund. They are organising a fund to help the defenders of Mariupol and the families of the defenders who lost their husbands and fathers.

From the wider reporting, it appeared that Arsenal made a final offer on Thursday or Friday. Did you speak to Arsenal to tell them it was all done with Chelsea?

Before Chelsea arrived in Turkey, we almost agreed with Arsenal that there was no chance to close (the deal). When they proposed the final offer of €70million plus €30million (in add-ons), we sat down and started to talk internally about how it will be fulfilled in terms of the payments, the fixed part and the bonus issues. We realised we will not close this deal (with Arsenal). I said to Edu that I did my best but it was not possible.

So it was a relief when Chelsea then came?

When Chelsea arrived, they just called and said, ‘OK, we know you negotiated with Arsenal, we know you are close with some kind of figures. We want to meet’. I said, ‘OK, let’s meet’. I told Muydrk, ‘If I do not sell you in winter, we will definitely sell you in the summer’. I said, ‘Maybe you will cost even more in summertime’. We were ready to accept different scenarios. We would not be rushed.

So while meeting Chelsea, did you need to keep a poker face to say Arsenal are still involved?

But this football world is quite close. I know for sure that everybody knows what is going on. From (the) Arsenal side, Chelsea side, these kinds of negotiations involve a lot of people. A lot of journalists are around it, too. A lot of guys who can provide some kind of info. So, everyone knows what is going on.

It’s a record deal for a Ukrainian footballer. What does this mean for Ukraine right now? To have somebody promoted globally in the biggest league in the world, to have an ambassador with the Ukrainian flag (which Mudryk wore as he greeted the crowd on Sunday) at Stamford Bridge…

For social media alone, the coverage was something like 60 million across those platforms. I am not counting newspapers or TV channels. Ukraine got absolutely top-level coverage across the world, and for us it is positive promotion of our country. Mudryk became an ambassador of Ukraine across the world. I like very much that he went to the Premier League because it is the best league in the world, and also England supports Ukraine a lot. It is one of the best countries for that, which is very important for us. For the whole world and Ukraine, it is an important transfer. We have context in this transfer: American owners, England, Ukraine – this triangle. Today, we are as close as ever. It is an important point.

This time last year, Chelsea were owned by (Russian oligarch) Roman Abramovich. He faced sanctions from the British government before Chelsea were sold to the new ownership. Now the club is a very different place. Is that important as well?

I think yes, because if there was no new owner of Chelsea, there would be a lot of critics in respect of us, because of these kinds of connections.

Probably impossible (to make this deal in those circumstances)?

Maybe even impossible.

GO DEEPER

Mudryk deal a statement of intent and shows Chelsea owners are fully behind Potter

Great read to find out how they completed this deal.

[Fulham Broadway 16,392]

So Arsenal were tapping him up before they contacted the club - get what they deserve then

[Magic Lamps 11,449]

2 hours ago, Vesper said:

Exclusive: Why Mykhailo Mudryk joined Chelsea not Arsenal – by Shakhtar’s CEO

https://theathletic.com/4096686/2023/01/17/shakhtar-donetsk-ceo-why-mudryk-Chelsea-not-arsenal/

 

 

Big respect to Shaktar CEO Palkin for the honesty and transparency. You really seldom get answers this clear from football bosses. It is a bit reassuring that everyone Eghbali and Boehly talk to is apparently convinced by their project - at least as soon as they put the money on the table. I can totally see how this is a proud moment for Shaktar and Ukraine - can't wait for this friendly with Donetsk to take place.

[NikkiCFC 7,580]

Already my favorite player 😂

[robsblubot 3,218]

1 hour ago, NikkiCFC said:

Already my favorite player 😂

blasphemy! Harry Kane is the more competent diver IMHO 😆

[Simon1991 225]

On 16/01/2023 at 01:59, Jype said:

Yeah. If Mudryk was really adamant to join Arsenal a hijack would never have worked, just like it didn't with Raphinha last summer.

It's not like the window is about to end either, there's still more than half left and he could easily have stalled things a bit and wait to see if Arsenal would match our bid but cleraly he had already given us the green light once the offer went in. Credit to Boehly etc. as well that they have learned a thing or two since Raphinha to only make a bid once the player is already on board.

Still not fully convinced about the player being worth all that money and on the face of it the 8,5 year contract seems crazy too but without knowing the salary I can't really comment on the contract length much. If it's a reasonable wage, the long deal can be a good thing to help lower the amortisation costs but if it's something like +200K/wk then it's just not great business.

Looking forward to seeing what the guy can do in the PL.

Capology has him listed and verified at £100k/week, which is very reasonable. Relatively easy to offload he things go sour, and tied to a long deal at "low wages" if he turns into a superstar.

[NikkiCFC 7,580]

Yeah, I also saw from many sources that we double his Arsenal offer which was 50k so he is playing for 100k.

Edited January 18, 2023 by NikkiCFC

[MoroccanBlue 5,197]

15 hours ago, Simon1991 said:

Capology has him listed and verified at £100k/week, which is very reasonable. Relatively easy to offload he things go sour, and tied to a long deal at "low wages" if he turns into a superstar.

Probably a shit ton of bonuses in his contract that Boehly likes to do.