Chelsea have completed five new signings in the January transfer window after Mykhailo Mudryk was presented to fans at Stamford Bridge. The Ukrainian forward look destined to sign for Arsenal before the Blues swooped in and beat their London rivals to an £88million deal.
Mudryk has signed a seven-and-a-half year contract with the option to extend by a further 12 months, joining Benoit Badiashile, David Datro Fofana, Andrey Santos and Joao Felix at Chelsea. Graham Potter remains keen on adding more players to his growing squad as Todd Boehly looks to back his new manager by flexing the Blues' financial power in the transfer market.
The Ukraine international has caught the eye this season after impressing with Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League - scoring three goals and providing a further two assists in six appearances. Mudryk has 18 goal contributions in 18 matches so far this season and Potter will hope the £88million man can fire Chelsea towards a top four spot in the second half of the season.
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After playing with Shakhtar in the Champions League this season already, fans are confused as to whether this means he will be eligible to play for the Blues in their round of 16 tie against Borussia Dortmund. The short and simple answer is - yes.
Despite making six appearances for Shakhtar in Europe's elite club competition this season, the 22-year-old is still eligible to take part in a UEFA competition for another side in the second half of the campaign. Mudryk is not cup tied, as would have previously been the case long ago, given that UEFA rules state that three new players can be registered for the knockout stages of their competitions - as long as the paperwork is submitted by February 2.
The ruling is explained on UEFA's website in a statement which reads: "As of the round of 16, a club may register a maximum of three new eligible players for the remaining matches in the current competition. Such registration must be completed by February 2, 2023 at the latest.
"This deadline cannot be extended. Any or all of the players from the above quota of three may have been fielded for another club in the qualifying phase, play-offs or group stage of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League or UEFA Europa Conference League."
Therefore, Mudryk will be able to play for Potter's side against Borussia Dortmund in the round of 16 tie set to take place on Wednesday, February 15 and Tuesday, March 7 - unless he is injured or absent for other reasons. Chelsea will hope to have a number of key players back from injury for the two matches against Dortmund as they aim to repeat their success from 2021.
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