Arsenal legend Ian Wright says Mykhailo Mudryk seemingly ‘isn’t bothered’ that Chelsea have sacked Graham Potter as their manager.
The 22-year-old joined Chelsea during the January transfer window, but it could have been very different for the player because he wanted a move to Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
That transfer didn’t come about, and fast forward to the present, and Mykhailo Mudryk is sitting 11th in the Premier League table with his new club and his manager is out of the door.
Even though Chelsea owner Todd Boehly was the one who brought Potter in from Brighton, after seventh months, he has seen enough.
Not only have those at Stamford Bridge spent half a billion in two transfer windows, but many of the players have signed long-term contracts, up to eight years.
Mudryk signed an eight-and-a-half deal when he moved from Shakhtar Donetsk and Ian Wright suggested that handing such deals to the players will make them ‘relax’ and not be bothered about the club’s current situation, as he told Premier League Productions (03/04/23 at 2:15 pm).
“We speak about Mudryk coming in,” said Wright. “He went from let’s say £10k-a-week to £90k-a-week and then they incentivise that more, so it may go up to £150k-a-week (later on during his eight-year contract).
“It’s still nearly £100k-a-week, basic, for somebody who shouldn’t be incentivised. You should just give him a three or four-year contract, and then bam!
“At the moment, you are looking at him, is he bothered? He doesn’t even seem to me like he will be bothered about what’s going on because he will say ‘I have a long contract, this manager will go and then I will see what the next one does, if he comes in and it works out for me, then brilliant and I will kick on’.
“But it has kind of put something into the players’ minds that, relax! They are relaxed (about the Chelsea situation). Normally, you have a four-year contract, but they have eight years. I wouldn’t like to have a contract like that. It wouldn’t work for me because I would take the first four years off.”
MUDRYK STRUGGLES
Graham Potter’s last game in charge was Chelsea’s home defeat to Unai Emery’s Aston Villa, a game in which Mudryk started, but he was compared to a ’14-year-old boy’ for his performance.
It’s not going well for the all-action forward, who is struggling along with many of his teammates, as there is a serious chance that the West London club will finish in the bottom half.
Given that the Ukraine star could have ended up at Arsenal and won a possible Premier League title, then this is a serious downgrade from the player.
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