Stan Collymore thinks Arsenal made the right call by not signing Mykhailo Mudryk because it would have been a ‘bigger risk’ for the Premier League leaders to sign the winger than Chelsea.
The former Premier League striker compared the situation to Nicolas Pepe and how the now-loaned-out star struggled during his time at Arsenal.
The 27-year-old is currently in Nice and he is Arsenal’s club-record signing, but under Unai Emery and now Mikel Arteta, he just failed to progress and showcase his worth.
Pepe’s biggest issue is that, whilst he struggled, someone like Bukayo Saka came through the ranks and played like the £72 million (Sky Sports) price tag they paid Pepe for.
Either way, with Mudryk now donning the Chelsea colours and looking to make his debut against Liverpool at the weekend, the current leaders of England are searching the market for another option in the forward areas.
Prior to the Ukraine international moving to Stamford Bridge, Collymore had advised the player to move to Chelsea, as he compared the player to Gareth Bale, as he told CaughtOffside.
“When I first said that Mudryk should snub Arsenal and move to Chelsea so many fans gave me stick on social media, but look what’s happened,” said Collymore. “Players do not look at moving to clubs based on half a season. Chelsea’s long-term project is much more exciting – Todd Boehly will not rest until he replicates, or betters, the success the club had under Roman Abramovich.
“It would have been a bigger risk for Arsenal to drop that transfer fee on him though. Look at what happened with Nicolas Pepe for example, but for Chelsea, it’s a lot less risky because they have financial muscle that most clubs don’t.
“As for Mudryk’s potential, teams, not just Chelsea, have high expectations for the lad. There are other clubs who I’m not going to predict Mudryk’s future and say he’s going to win the Ballon d’Or, it’s way too early for any of that – but he is a good player. He’s direct, he’s got outrageous pace, very confident, he can weigh in with goals and he can beat defenders before putting in good crosses.
“I think he’ll get physically bigger and stronger as he develops at Chelsea similar to how Gareth Bale developed at Spurs. Both left-wingers, both have that ability to blast past opposition players so if there was a comparison to be made, I think Mudryk could replicate the type of player Bale was.”
ARSENAL MOVE ON
At the end of the day, whether it’s this season or the next, if that Premier League title lands on Arsenal’s doorstep again, then Mudryk will quickly be out of their minds.
Yes, he can become a supreme talent and performer for Chelsea, but he will find it tougher at Stamford Bridge.
At the Emirates, he would have joined a more well-balanced, confident, settled and thriving team, but it’s a different story altogether in West London.
Graham Potter’s side are at huge risk of missing out on Champions League football, and with fellow strugglers Liverpool coming up at the weekend, then he needs to settle in pretty quickly.
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