Mykhaylo Mudryk has now picked up Shakhtar Donetsk’s Player of the Month award three times in a row as the Ukraine international holds out for a January move to Premier League giants Arsenal, as reported by Sport Arena.
If Mudryk is indeed on his way out of Shakhtar in the winter window, then he’ll need to make extra room in his suitcase for an ever-growing collection of silverware.
After picking up his side’s Player of the Month award both in September and October, the jet-heeled winger made it a hat-trick this week, accumulating nearly three-quarters of the vote on Shakhtar’s official website.
Mudryk has three goals and one assist in his last four Ukrainian Premier League games. In all competitions, the 21-year-old is averaging a goal or an assist across every match he has played in 2022/23; 10 goals and eight assists in total.
“I like many football players. I will definitely single out Mykhaylo Mudryk from Shakhtar,” says fellow Ukraine international Oleksandr Andriyevskyi. “He is a super football player. I think he will have a good future in football.”
Arsenal hope to sign Ukraine international Mykhaylo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk
What that future holds, however, only time will tell.
Mudryk, officially recorded as the fastest player during this season’s Champions League group-stages, has made no secret of his desire to seal a move to one of Europe’s biggest clubs during the January transfer window. He’s spoken publicly about his admiration for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal on numerous occasions.
“I check on Arsenal and know when they’re playing,” explains 21-year-old Mudryk. “I also watch them too. (Arsenal are) a very dynamic side.
“From a purely theoretical, fantasy perspective, if there was the option of being a bench player for Real Madrid or a starter for Arsenal, I’d probably choose Arsenal.
“One surprise for me was how many Arsenal fans followed me (on social media). No other club’s fans have interacted as much as them, telling me that they are waiting for me. Saying; ‘Come to us’. One of my recent posts has over 500 comments saying that.”
Shakhtar’s bosses, in conversation with The Athletic, indicated in November that Mudryk would not be sold for less than £85 million. In private, however, there is reportedly an acceptance that bids closer to £56 million will likely be accepted (Dean Jones).
‘One of the best players I have seen’
“If someone wants to buy the Mudryk, they have to pay huge, huge, huge money. Otherwise, the president of the club will not sell him,” says Shakhtar director Darijo Srna.
“All clubs must respect the president, respect Shakhtar. And, in the end, respect Mykhaylo Mudryk, who is one of the best players I have seen. That’s why the price is so high.
“Antony and Grealish are players with a price of more than 100 million euros. In my opinion, Mudryk is no less a quality player than they are. And there was the transfer of Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund to Manchester United.
“These are the latest transfers in more or less the same positions. We only want respect. The market determines the price, not me. It shows which players are worth such money.”
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