Chelsea's latest January signing Mykhailo Mudryk has posted an emotional farewell on Instagram to his boyhood club Shakhtar Donetsk after completing a Premier League move. The Blues confirmed the signing of Mudryk on Sunday during their clash with Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge and he was later unveiled to fans at half time of that game.
Following the win over Crystal Palace, Chelsea boss Graham Potter delivered his first words on the Mudryk highlighting a number of his key attributes. "In terms of what he brings, he’s a player with a big future, exciting, one vs one, he's very direct, he attacks the back-line, can go into wide areas but also affects the goal. A really exciting player and I think our supporters will really like him."
Arsenal looked to be in pole position to sign Mudryk having seen their latest of three offers considered by those at Shakhtar, however the Blues worked quickly to sign the 22-year-old from right under the noses of their London rivals. According to Shakhtar chief executive Sergei Palkin, both clubs offered similar packages but Chelsea's payment structure was better, with an expected £62million fee and additional £26million in add-ons accepted by Shakhtar.
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Palkin, speaking exclusively to The Athletic, also detailed the intricacies of the transfer saga from the perspective of Shakhtar and Mudryk revealing the player never formally pushed for a move away.
"He was professional, he did not push us, he said. "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."
Mudryk had been at Shakhtar since he was 15 before being handed his first-team debut two years later. The 22-year-old caught the eye of several clubs in the summer but officially burst onto the scene at the beginning of this season. From 18 appearances this season he has 10 goals and eight assists, with five of those contributions coming in the Champions League before Chelsea paid a record fee for a Ukranian footballer.
After sealing his move over the weekend, Mudryk has posted a heartfelt video to his Instagram which includes numerous memories at Shakhtar along with several of his best goals. The caption reads: "I was lucky to play with players like you, I was lucky to meet people like you, thank you for everything team, I will miss you "
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