After months of hints at wanting a transfer to Arsenal, Mykhailo Mudryk has finally signed for a Premier League team but it will not be at Emirates Stadium for the Gunners. Instead he will be playing for London rivals Chelsea after a late transfer hijack from the Blues was plotted and executed swiftly in the week where football.london reported Arsenal were the closest they had ever been to signing Mudryk.
Shakhtar's public valuation of €100million (£88million) looked unlikely to be met by either of the two clubs with a keen interest in signing Mudryk in January. However, Chelsea made the decision to offer a package deal matching that total value - a £62million fee with an additional £26million in add-ons - after co-owner Behdad Eghbali and director of global talent and transfers Paul Winstanley arrived at Shakhtar's training camp in Antalya, Turkey on Saturday in order to seal the transfer.
Such was the speed of Chelsea's negotiations for Mudryk, the 22-year-old had agreed personal terms and passed a medical over the weekend, before being presented to supporters at Stamford Bridge at half time of the Premier League clash against Crystal Palace on Sunday.
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In an interview by The Athletic with Shakhtar Donetsk chief executive Sergei Palkin, the full reasoning behind why Mudryk joined Chelsea over Arsenal appeared to be clear as favourable and achievable add-ons were offered by the Blues. The ongoing project and rebuild in west London was also appealing to Palkin especially as he revealed that both clubs offered the same monetary fees.
From Shakhtar's perspective, accepting Chelsea's proposal made much more sense, but the question still remained why did Mudryk, who was clearly desperate to join the Gunners, suddenly change his stance on being open to a move to Chelsea instead? A behind-the-scenes look by The Athletic at how his transfer unfolded has now potentially revealed exactly why the Ukrainian winger chose west over north London.
Their report details that in a meeting with Eghbali and Winstanley they both stressed how he would arguably face stiffer competition for game-time from Gabriel Martinelli if he chose to join Arsenal over Chelsea. Consistent minutes may have been the main reason why a transfer to Chelsea was chosen, and although Eghbali and Winstanley are correct, in the long-term it may be a decision he regrets.
At this moment in time, attacking options for Graham Potter are limited, with Armando Broja, Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic all out injured. Add in Joao Felix's suspension to that and it is four players that Mudryk will obviously be above in the pecking order given each of there current predicaments.
However, that injured trio will recover from those issues, meanwhile Felix will be available again in the middle of February. Not to mention Christopher Nkunku will arrive at Stamford Bridge over the summer after the Blues agreed a pre-contract transfer with RB Leipzig to sign the forward.
In the short-term, Martinelli's development and form would have likely taken game-time away from Mudryk had he signed for the Gunners, along with the returning Emile Smith Rowe. However, in the long run, consistent minutes appear far likelier to achieve under Mikel Arteta.
It is, of course, currently unclear whether that statement from two of Chelsea's key board members was the reason Mudryk made his decision, but it is certainly a convincing argument to make, especially as he could make his debut against Liverpool on Saturday.
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