Mykhaylo Mudryk continues to be linked with a move to Arsenal, though one data analyst has now suggested that a smart club would avoid a January move for the Shakhtar Donetsk winger.
The Gunners are in the market for a wide man in the coming transfer windows, especially as it now seems as though Nicolas Pepe - who's currently on loan at Nice - has played his last game for the club. Luckily, it appears as though Mudryk is in fact very open to a move to Arsenal.
Speaking to CBS Sports back in September, he said: "I think every guy dreams about the Premier League. It's hard to say [who his preferred move is], but Arsenal is a very good team, very good coach, I like the way they play."
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When asked if he would make a move to the Emirates Stadium, he said: "From my side, I can't say no [to Arsenal]. But the transfer is not only my decision."
However, rather fearfully, recruitment guru Mladen Sormaz, who was formerly the Head of Analytics at Leicester City, isn't convinced by the benefits of a January move. In fact, he believes that he presents a 'nightmare scenario' because he's played very little football in his short career.
"Ukraine didn't get to the World Cup but the kid (Mykhaylo) Mudryk at (Shakhtar Donetsk),” Sormaz told The Athletic. "He's had a good Champions League, but had he not had those games and just had a good run of form at a World Cup, he would be the perfect example of your nightmare scenario where you say, 'I think this guy's really good but…'. He's made under 30 senior appearances in his career. That's a situation where the smarter clubs would probably wait. But someone might take a risk."
CBS Sports reporter Ben Jacobs, via HITC, claims that whilst Arsenal think Mudryk wants to join, Mikel Arteta hasn't decided on a move just yet - perhaps his lack of senior experience is why.
Analytics are becoming more important in the modern game and Arsenal - like most clubs in the Premier League - are bound to be making the most of the data they're given. Of course, it's not always completely telling and Mudryk could hit the ground running in red and white, but that's a risk the Gunners and Arteta may be unwilling to make.
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